So Close Yet So Far (Revised)
by Reinaa
Summary: Miyako was formally a third seat on Squad 1O but when she becomes the Captain for a different squad, what will await her as she is on the front lines of battle? With childhood bonds, reality, and responsibility on the line, will she lose everything she cares for? Will she lose... Kuchiki Byakuya? Chapter 13 is up! Please R&R!
1. The 1,970 Shin'o Acadamy Entr Ceremony

**[[ Hello everyone!**

**I just want to thank you for taking the time to read this fanfic.**

**I have slowly been revising the current chapters I have now with new details and with some changes to the storyline.**

**The beginning chapters will be about Miyako and Byakuya's Academy days. There will be a timeskip somewhere up ahead, haha.**

**Again, enjoy! And do leave a review and let me know what you think! ]]**

* * *

In the Chamber of Souls, a very large and immeasurable chamber located inside the main building of the Academy, Shinigami-to-be's were crowding inside the chamber and were taking their seats. The Chamber's design was similar to an auditorium with thousands of seats perfectly organized into rows that stretched up to four meters from the center platform in the front of the room. Seated on the central platform were over two-dozen teachers that were dressed in white kimonos with black haoris that were trimmed with a light grey. As everyone was chatting amongst themselves, an announcement was heard over the telecom and the murmurs that echoed throughout the Chamber slowly grew to silence.

**_Welcome new students to the 1,97O_****_th_****_ Shin'_****_ō_****_Academy Entrance Ceremony! We are proud to announce that this year's entrance exam marks were one of the highest we've received in decades! Congratulations to all the students that are here today and we hope that you will continue to work hard in your studies! We offer you a warm welcome to a proud tradition of ours and we ask that you uphold the honor of this facility without fail._**

With the ending of the announcement, all the students stood from their seats and gave a hearty applause that was amplified due to the acoustics in the Chamber. As everyone sat back down in their seats, someone stepped up to the podium that was placed in front of the central platform. As everyone's gaze was focused on the podium, it was revealed that a Shinigami from the Gotei 13 was about to speak. The man possessed shoulder length black hair forming side bangs that framed the right side of his face and was wearing the standard black Shihakusho with a grey and black trimmed haori.

"Welcome, new students of the Shin'ō Academy," the man addressed the crowd. "I am Asuka Katakura, one of the enrollment advisors, as well as the sixth seat of the Gotei 13's third division. As many of you have heard from the intercom earlier, this is one of the highest marked classes we've had in years and we have high expectations of you. Whether you join the Kido Corps, the Onmitsukido, or the Gotei 13, we expect nothing less from you and hope that you will continue to bring success even after leaving here in six years. Now before I assign you all to your classes, I would like to introduce our hardworking teachers to all of you."

The first teacher to introduce himself was Gengoro Onabara who was the chief instructor for class 1-A, or better known as the special accelerated class. He was a very large and muscular man that had a shaved head and looked as if he was a very stern teacher. However, the students will come to realize that to Gengoro, teaching is what he is passionate about and he will have his class not only leave with a secured position to wherever they choose to go but also with a lesson they will carry with them throughout their life journey.

After all the teachers finished their introductions, it was finally time for the students to get assigned to their classes and everyone was simply filled with excitement. As Asuka took the stand once more, a large holographic screen appeared above the platform and displayed several sets of numbers and names. The first row were the classes labeled from 1-A to 1-N, and the columns that followed each row were filled with names that represented the students that were selected for each class. Of all the names that were displayed on the board, there were two surnames that jumped out to anyone that knew of the rumors that were flying around Seireitei. In class 1-A there were two students that possessed the surname of "Kuchiki" and "Urahara."

. . .

"Okay students, let me introduce myself to all of you. My name is Gengoro Onabara and it's a pleasure to inform you that out of the entire incoming freshman class, your test scores of the entrance exams were the highest. Congratulations for making it into the Advanced Class! Of course, that means that the expectations are higher as well. I'm certain all of you are already aware of this but you must train hard and strive for excellence in your future pursuits. Now, to get this class started, let's have each of you introduce yourselves one by one. Miss, why don't you start us off? Please tell us your name and whether you're planning to join the Gotei 13, the Kido Corps, or the Onmitsukido." Gengoro and the rest of the class focused their attention on a young girl that couldn't be older than 11 who possessed purple eyes and tricolored hair of purple, white, and a light brown color.

"My name is Urahara Miyako and I'm interested in joining the Gotei 13." The girl spoke with her soft voice. Upon hearing the name Urahara, a spark clicked into Gengoro's mind, _Urahara, huh? Didn't think I'd see Kisuke's sister here so soon. Let's hope she's as impressive as her brother was._ Gengoro thought to himself as he gave an approving nod to Miyako and thanked her for sharing.

"Okay, next." Gengoro pointed to the boy that was next to Miyako.

"I'm Sakurai Hiroki and I want to join the Onmitsukido!" the boy said proudly as he looked at Gengoro with proud eyes. The introductions continued with the various aged people that were in the class and when it came to be a certain teenager's turn, everyone's eyes showed a great amount of respect as he introduced himself.

With such grace and confidence, the teenage boy with his grey eyes and long black ponytail, captured the attention of everyone in the room. "I am Kuchiki Byakuya and I hope to join the Gotei 13."

As Byakuya took his seat, everyone was murmuring amongst themselves saying things such as: 'He's definitely going to take over Kuchiki Ginrei Taichou's position when he graduates!' and 'Such grace! What else can you expect from a noble?'

_An Urahara and a Kuchiki, guess we have some high expectations for this class, ha-ha. _Gengoro thought to himself as he observed his group of highly potential students, "Alright, now that introductions are done and over with, everyone take one of these textbooks and read up on your Hado and Bakudo spells. We will be focusing on that tomorrow so you better come prepared. I expect nothing less from the Advanced Class. See you tomorrow, Class dismissed." As Gengoro made his way to the teacher's lounge, the students quickly grabbed a textbook and decided to crowd around Byakuya as they were still mesmerized by his presence. Byakuya simply responded to them with a confident smile as he tried to be calm and collected by the sudden attention.

"Oh, it looks like you're here too Byakuya-San." A voice commented from the entrance. All the students turned their attention over to see who was the owner of that voice and there stood a tall lean-built man with light skin and grey eyes. His hair is a messy light blond with strands framing the sides of his face and hanging between his eyes. Anyone can tell that the person that walked through the door was a captain due to the haori he was wearing, it was the newly appointed captain of Squad 12: Urahara Kisuke.

"Onii-Chan!" The young Miyako yelled out as she ran into her elder brother's arms.

"Hey little one, how was your first day?" Kisuke asked as he better positioned Miyako so she wouldn't fall.

"It was good, we're going to be practicing our Kido tomorrow!"

"Ah, I see. I'm really proud of you Miyako, the Advanced Class? Who knew you had such a smart little brain." Kisuke teased as he ruffled Miyako's hair.

As the two were smiling and laughing, the other students that were observing this scene had on expressions of repulse as they heard rumors about the new captain of Squad 12. They whispered things like: "How could someone as weak as him become a captain?", "I heard he doesn't know how to do anything in his captain position, how did he even get the job?", and "I heard he can't even control his division and that no one likes him. He's always confused and doesn't know how to lead them."

Upon hearing the whispers surrounding him, Byakuya was going to speak up for Urahara Taichou but then a loud yell was heard instead.  
"That's not true! Onii-Chan here is really strong! If he weren't then he wouldn't have become a captain! Squad 12's captain just left so of course it'll be hard for the others to accept him so easily! Don't look down on Squad 12's Urahara Taichou!" The angered voice belonged to Miyako who was starting to look flustered since she too possessed "quiet-like" qualities like her elder brother but she was unable to withstand the negative comments she heard about Kisuke and defended him.

Kisuke then ruffled Miyako's hair once again and gave her a gentle smile, "Arigato Miyako-Chan but don't worry about me okay? Come on, let's get going." Kisuke then held Miyako tightly in his arms as they walked out of the classroom and made their way to Squad 12's barracks.

As the loving siblings left the classroom, the students that remained continued to whisper about the Urahara siblings and then decided to attack Miyako saying things such as, "I can't believe someone like her got into the Advanced Class. She must have cheated." And "Didn't she say she wanted to join the Gotei 13? How could someone like her do that?" The other students then started to laugh and Byakuya couldn't stand to hear anymore. He pushed his way through the crowd and headed toward the front of the class to grab his textbook. The other students then turned their attention to him once more and as he walked out of the door he told them, "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. One day, that girl will definitely surprise you."

* * *

The next day, the fifty students returned to their classroom in anticipation for their Kido training but before they made their way to the Kido Training Field, Gengoro told the class that they will be split into ten groups of five. The groups were determined by picking a piece of paper that had a picture of a shape on it that was placed inside a large black hat. The shapes and group numbers were as follows: (1) Circle, (2) Square, (3) Triangle, (4) Star, (5) Heart, (6) Diamond, (7) Pentagon, (8) Rectangle, (9) Hexagon, and (10) Octagon. As everyone picked their shapes and joined their groups, most of the students were hoping to join Byakuya's group, which was the Star Group. The Star Group consisted of Kuchiki Byakuya, Sakurai Hiroki, Kawasaki Taijo, Towa Yoshiro, and Urahara Miyako. As everyone's groups were now finalized, Gengoro brought his students to the Kido Training Field.

"Okay, Circle Group, your task for today will be Bakudo #4: Hainawa. Aim for the wooden targets in front of you."

As the first group said their incantations and performed Hainawa, an energy rope appeared and bound their targets arms. Gengoro nodded his head at the group and wrote down his observations.

…

Then it was finally Star Group's turn. Everyone's attention was solely focused on Byakuya, even three of his teammates had their attention on him. As for Miyako, she simply focused on the wooden target in front of her. _With all that attention, the pressure must be immense. _Miyako thought to herself as she glanced over at Byakuya who saw her and gave her a small smile.

"Okay, Star Group, you will be performing Hado #31: Shakkaho. Remember to say the incantation correctly."

As the five students prepared their stance, they recited the incantation in unison, "O Lord, Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter wings, you who bears the name of Man, Inferno and Pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, March on to the south!" five balls of red energy then whipped through the air damaging the target creating a cloud of smoke to appear. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that one of the puppets lost its arm, two received damage to their chest, and another two were completely destroyed. Tracing the destroyed puppet back to Byakuya, he received looks of high regard and a round of applause.

_The Kuchiki boy sure is impressive but so is the Urahara, _Gengoro thought to himself as he traced the other destroyed target to Miyako. He wrote down his observations and the next team was set to perform their task. As Star Group returned to the back of the line, Byakuya managed to slip past his admirers and make his way to Miyako who was sitting alone.

"Excuse me, your name is Miyako, correct?" The polite noble asked as he approached the lonesome girl.

Miyako, understanding that he was a noble, stood from where she was and gave a slight bow. "Yes. I am Urahara Miyako, Kuchiki-San."

"You don't need to be so formal, we're both classmates." He assured her in an attempt to make her more comfortable, "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that your Kido skills are really good! You managed to completely destroy your target! The others may not have noticed but your Shakkaho was definitely stronger than mine." The boy pointed out as he gave Miyako a cheerful grin, "That's it, I've decided, from now on, you're going to be my rival!" Upon hearing those words, Miyako's eyes widened in complete shock. "Let's work hard together, Star Group's Urahara Miyako!" Byakuya then held his hand out with a large grin on his face in excitement.

Miyako was completely confused, _why would he want to be my rival? We've only met yesterday, how can he just decide that? But even I can tell that he's strong, I don't think I would be able to-_ As Miyako was thinking to herself on how to react to this situation, her thoughts were cut off as Byakuya grabbed her hand and shook her hand for her.

"It's final! We're rivals!" he said in a cheerful tone.

* * *

The focuses of the next two days were more Hado and Bakudo practice and like always, Byakuya was the star of these practices. As for Miyako, no matter how hard she worked, everyone simply disregarded her, well, everyone except her self-proclaimed rival Byakuya. Everyday after practice, Byakuya would walk up to her and compliment her for her hard work and to keep it up. Some of the students saw the interaction between the two and a spark of jealousy started to occur. The other students only saw Miyako as someone that resembled her elder brother: weak, clueless, and unreliable. Unfortunately for Miyako, her weaknesses were going to be revealed during the Zanjutsu lessons that were taking place today.

As Class 1-A made their way to the Zanjutsu Training Hall, Gengoro announced that today's training would be focused on the groups, meaning that each group of five will be training amongst themselves. Since each group is uneven, Gengoro already planned out how to approach today's training. First, two people from a group will battle against one another. Then another two will battle against each other. The remaining student will then proceed to battle the person that won the first battle and the person that wins that battle will fight against the person that won the second battle. Everyone was able to understand the directions clearly and Circle Group was the first to start out.

…

When it was finally time for Star Group's turn, Byakuya was up first and he was battling against Taijo, a teenager who was just a few years older than Byakuya. The battle was over in an instant and Byakuya was declared the winner of the first battle. Everyone was amazed at his strength and how he was able to use a katana so swiftly and elegantly. The next two to battle was Miyako and Yoshiro, one of the female students that saw Byakuya compliment Miyako one day after the Kido training. Yoshiro was a fairly intimidating girl and she was two years older than Miyako. However, driven by jealousy, Yoshiro gave a menacing glare to Miyako and intended to attack with full force. Miyako instantly knew that this was not going to be an easy battle, especially considering her below average Zanjutsu skills.

Without giving Miyako a chance to collect her thoughts, Yoshiro immediately charged at her and attempted to strike her.

Miyako tightened her grip onto her katana and tried to block the attack but the force was too strong and ended up pushing back Miyako closer to the wall behind her. Without a moment's hesitation, Yoshiro continued to strike Miyako and Miyako was barely able to keep up with Yoshiro's lightening fast Zanjutsu skills. Even though Miyako knew Zanjutsu was not her forte, she still tried anyway. Using her katana, she struck at Yoshiro continuously but despite all her efforts, Yoshiro was able to easily evade her lashes. Finally, Yoshiro proved that she was way stronger than Miyako and finished the battle as she knocked Miyako onto the ground while her katana flung across the floor.

Humiliated, Miyako just hung her head on the floor in defeat as the other students were saying, "See, she's just like her brother: worthless and weak. How is she even worthy of Byakuya-Sama's attention?" and they also gave her looks of abhorrence as Yoshiro gave a smirk and returned to the group to continue on to the next match.

_I knew it, _Miyako thought to herself as she looked at the katana that was a couple feet away from her. _It's all Kuchiki Byakuya's fault._

Then all of a sudden, she saw a hand held out to her. As she motioned her head up, it was the last person she wanted to see at the moment: Kuchiki Byakuya. He held out his hand to help Miyako get to her feet but Miyako was embarrassed and angry about what has happened and so she ended up slapping away Byakuya's hand, which caused the other students to get defensive.

"How dare you be rude to Byakuya-Sama like that!" Saying such things only made Miyako feel angrier.

Byakuya looked in Miyako's wavering purple eyes and was utterly confused. All he wanted to do was help Miyako because after all, she's his rival but to Miyako, Byakuya was simply a bad omen that she wanted to get rid of. She looked into Byakuya's grey eyes and ran out of the classroom leaving a guilt-ridden expression to appear on Byakuya's face.

* * *

**[[ And that's the end of chapter one.  
**

**What'd you think?**

**Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!**

**Thank you for reading the first chapter of So Close Yet So Far! ]]**


	2. It's Final, We're Rivals!

The next day, Class 1-A was going to go over to the Zanjutsu Training Hall once again and practice their Zanjutsu skills. As Gengoro called out for attendance, he noticed that Miyako wasn't in class today. The other students wore proud smiles, as they were able to rid of the girl that stole away Byakuya-Sama's attention. However, Byakuya, on the other hand, couldn't forget the look in Miyako's eyes yesterday as he tried to help her. He knew that it was his fault that she is getting unwanted attention but Byakuya thought he finally found someone that he could rival himself up against and grow stronger with. He didn't intend to cause harm to Miyako and was saddened by the fact that such a scenario had to happen.

Gengoro then told the students to train amongst themselves as they did yesterday so he can call Miyako's guardian and inform them that she did not attend school today. As Gengoro reached the teacher's lounge, he looked through Miyako's file and called the emergency contact number.

"Hello?" A man answered on the other end of the phone line.

"Hello? Urahara Kisuke?"

"Ah, Onabara-Sensei? It's been a while! How are you?"

"I'm fine, and you Kisuke?"

"I've been good! Is something the matter?"

"No… Well, at least I hope not. I know you are busy with your captain duties but I thought I'd call you and let you know that your sister, Miyako, did not show up for class today."

"Eh? Miyako? That's odd, she told me she was going to class today."

"I do think it may be due to the amount of pressure she's been handling lately. A few of the students have been picking on her and they seem to be targeting her at practice, I've observed that her Zanjutsu skills are a little below average and the others were able to see her weakness as well."

"Ah… I see. I'll have a talk with her, don't worry Onabara-Sensei, I'll make sure she's in class tomorrow."

"Alright. Take care Kisuke." As they hung up the phone, in Squad 12's barracks, Kisuke was sitting at his desk trying to finish up his paperwork. He placed his brush pen down and looked at a photo he had of him and Miyako in his arms. As he gently picked up the photo and looked at it with a soft gaze, he spoke aloud to himself, "Little one… you're going to grow up strong so please… Don't stop fighting."

As Kisuke finally made his way to Shin'ō Academy, he made his way to Class A's dormitories. Looking through the nametags that were on the doors, he finally found the room Miyako was staying in after reaching the halfway point of the hallway. To Kisuke's surprise, the door was covered in sticky-notes that read: "Weakling", "Loser", "Stay away from Byakuya-Sama.", "You don't belong here." And many other notes along those lines. Reading those letters caused sadness to take over Kisuke and he didn't know how to handle such a situation. Miyako has never been a victim of bullying before; she's usually the quiet one that doesn't get involved with others. Kisuke knocked on the door but there was no reply. He suspected as much so he went inside the room anyway. When he opened the door, he saw Miyako laying face down on her bed.

"Hey, little one." Kisuke greeted in his usual gentle tone.

Hearing her brother's voice, Miyako motioned her head over towards the door and her eyes were starting to tear up. Noticing such a rare scene, Kisuke walked into the room, closed the door, and sat beside Miyako on her bed. Miyako positioned herself in an upright position and snuggled herself into her elder brother's arms. Kisuke held Miyako in a deep embrace as he gently put his hand on her head reassuring her that he is there for her.

"What happened, little one?" Kisuke asked in his soft voice as he was comforting Miyako.

Miyako explained to Kisuke about the various events that occurred the past few days: her being criticized by the other students because of her relation with Kisuke, Kuchiki Byakuya's suddenness of wanting to become rivals and the amount of enemies that has created, and how her Zanjutsu skills are still underdeveloped. "It's all Kuchiki Byakuya's fault."

"Why do you say that, little one?"

"If he hadn't noticed me, I wouldn't have all this pressure on me. If he had just left me alone, the others wouldn't have focused on my skills as closely as they are now. And he told me he wanted to be rivals! Why would I do something as silly as that?"

Kisuke gave a soft chuckle as he was listening to Miyako's last words; after all she is still a child. "You think having a rival is a silly idea? Listen to me little one, having a rival, especially here, is one of the greatest things that can happen to you. When you have a rival, they're pushing you to do your very best. You want to be able to prove that you're growing stronger and that you won't let anyone stop you. Having a rival will push you past your limits and make you reach a higher power than you have now. So you shouldn't be angry at Byakuya-San, you should be thanking him. He sees the potential in you Miyako and he knows you'll be a threat. That's why he considered you a rival; he wants to grow stronger with you. Do you understand?"

"I think so…" Miyako replied as she was still feeling conflicted about the whole situation.

Kisuke gave her a smile and ruffled her hair, "So, why didn't you tell me you needed help with your Zanjutsu? I could have helped you train. Are you embarrassed of me too as everyone is?"

"Of course not, Onii-Chan. You were recently appointed captain of Squad 12 and you're having trouble getting the acceptance of everyone in the squad; especially Hiyori Fukutaichou. I didn't want to bother you when you already have so much on your plate."

Kisuke's eyes widened at Miyako's statement, he was surprised to see how much Miyako has grown. Ever since Miyako was a little girl, she has always stuck by her brother's side and wanted his approval in everything she did but now that she is aware of his new position, she has started to set up her boundaries. Miyako is surely maturing but to Kisuke, she'll always be his "little one" and will drop everything for her.

"You think that just because you're growing up and that I've become a captain that I won't have time for you anymore? Little one, you already know that I'd drop anything for you and if it's to help you train in Zanjutsu then so be it. I'd rather help you train in Zanjutsu anyway so you can scare away the boys that might get too attracted to you later in life." Kisuke explained as he gave a smile to Miyako.

"Onii-Chan!"

"Ha-ha! Hai hai hai, let's go to the Sokyoku Hill Training Grounds. Hiyori won't be able to find us there."

* * *

As Kisuke and Miyako made their way to the training grounds, Kisuke asked Miyako a very important question before they began their sparring, "Hey, little one. Let me ask you one thing: Why do you choose to become a Shinigami?"

"Eh?" The question caught Miyako off guard because she didn't know how this tied to Zanjutsu. "I want to be a member of the Gotei 13." Miyako answered with assurance.

"But why? Why do you choose to fight?" Kisuke persisted.

"Why? Hm… It's because I want to be like Onii-Chan. Onii-Chan became a Shinigami to protect the ones he loves and to maintain peace, right? I want to do the same. I want to become a captain just like Onii-Chan; someone that fights for peace and fights to protect the people they care about." Hearing her explanation, Kisuke couldn't help but bring a smile to his face.

"Looks like this Zanjutsu training shouldn't be as hard as I thought. Remember what you just told me, Miyako!" Kisuke remarked as he quickly unsheathed his katana and lunged at Miyako who barely managed to unsheathe hers in time.

With the amount of force Kisuke put into his attack, Miyako was thrusted back and was barely able to dodge the attack successfully.

"Your reaction time is too slow. If I hadn't pushed back, you would have received a big wound on your chest. Little one, you need to focus on your surroundings. You need to pay closer attention to your opponent's movements; one mistake and it could potentially be fatal. Understood?"

Miyako regained her balance and firmly gripped her katana. "Hai!"

_Her form is too weak and there are too many openings, maybe I was wrong._ Kisuke thought to himself as he was observing Miyako before lashing at her again with full force. This time, Miyako was sent crashing into the walls of the training grounds and Kisuke showed no signs of mercy. "Miyako, get on your feet. If you want your Zanjutsu to get better, you mustn't waste time. After all, you have a rival to prove yourself to, don't you?" Kisuke said with a smile on his face as they continued sparring.

* * *

The next day, at the Academy, class 1-A was going to go to the Zanjutsu Training Hall once again to prepare for their hollow extermination test next week. As the groups got together, there was a weird atmosphere forming around the members of Star Group. Yoshiro was looking down on Miyako and there was a sort of tension between the two. As for Byakuya, he's changed. He hasn't been paying attention to Miyako whatsoever and that came as a surprise to Miyako but then again, she remembered how she treated him the other day. Miyako was still conflicted about being his rival but right now, her only focus was improving her Zanjutsu skills since she didn't want to be a burden in the hollow extermination next week.

…

It was finally Star Group's turn to battle against one another. Byakuya was up first and his battle partner was Yoshiro. Byakuya didn't show any mercy to Yoshiro even if she was a girl. The two had a fair and almost equal fight but Byakuya proved that he was stronger and defeated Yoshiro, who was surprisingly happy that she lost to the noble boy. Next to battle was Miyako and Hiroki, the boy that wanted to join the Onmitsukido.

While Miyako took her stance, Byakuya noticed a slight change but it was still flawed and it seemed as though he already knew the outcome of this battle. Hiroki lunged at Miyako who was able to block his attack successfully but Hiroki's skills with the katana were swift. After all, Hiroki managed to put up an equal fight with Byakuya. As Hiroki planned to attack Miyako's side, she quickly stepped back but Hiroki managed to change directions quickly and charged down on Miyako. With the amount of force Hiroki put into his swing, Miyako wasn't able to get in the correct position and failed to block the attack. Miyako had failed her battle once again and received ridicule from the other students. When she looked towards Byakuya, he was facing the other way with his eyes closed.

* * *

"Miyako! Hurry up and get on your feet! You're exterminating hollow tomorrow, do you think you'll be able to purify any if you keep stalling?" Kisuke commanded. As much as he cared for his little sister, there was no time to play a kind brother. If Miyako wants her Zanjutsu skills to improve, she has to be serious about it, just as Kisuke is.

Miyako was panting as she picked herself back up on her feet. She grabbed her katana that was stuck in the ground and lunged toward Kisuke once more but Kisuke was able to easily dodge and fling Miyako's katana out of her hand.

"Miyako. You are not taking this seriously. Your attacks are too soft. Do you remember what you told me three days ago? The reason why you are choosing to fight? Remember those reasons and don't hold back when you lunge at me. You need to attack me with the intention to kill, or else, your opponent will overpower you and you will lose."

"But Onii-Chan-"

"No buts." Kisuke interrupted, or rather demanded. "Do you remember seeing Yoruichi and me training down here? We didn't hold back on one another and we fought with all of our might. If either of us held back, then the other would think that they are not worthy of having a real battle. We fight with our full potential to show respect, we must not look down on our opponent because once you do that, your fate is sealed. Do you understand me?" Kisuke explained as he threw Miyako's katana in front of her.

_I must not look down on my opponent and I must not hold back. The reason why I fight is to protect the people that I love… If I hold back, how will I ever succeed in protecting them? How will I be able to protect Onii-Chan? _Miyako then grabbed hold of her katana once again and as she focused her gaze on Kisuke, he noticed that the look in her eyes has changed. He gave a smile to Miyako and they lunged at each other once again. Miyako was able to successfully land a hit on Kisuke's side.

"Now that's how you do it, little one." Kisuke ruffled Miyako's hair and gave her a smile, proud of how fast she's grown and that his training has paid off.

Miyako gave a smile to her elder brother and gave him a tight hug in appreciation for him helping her despite his busy schedule.

"Don't disappoint me okay?"

"I won't. After all, I'm an Urahara." Miyako said as she smiled proudly at her elder brother.

* * *

"Okay everyone, listen up! Before we make our way to the forest past the 8Oth district of Rukongai, you all with be receiving your Asauchi today. Remember, you must spend every moment you can with your Asauchi while you train. As you do so, your reiatsu will be transmitted into your Asauchi and will eventually mold into your Zanpakuto. Communicating with your Zanpakuto is vital to learning its name and unlocking its full potential."

Everyone had the option to choose the katana of their choice and as excitement ran through their veins, Gengoro spoke to them once again.

"Okay, now that everyone has their own Asauchi, get together in your groups! Each group has been assigned a volunteer seated officer to be their guide today. They will not assist in exterminating the hollow for you and will only interfere if they suspect that you will be in danger. Remember, we are going against hollow from Hueco Mundo, if any of you slack off or think that this is some sort of game, I advise you to leave immediately. Since there are five of you to each group, your task is to exterminate five hollow. Now go and find your advisor, they will be holding up a sign with your group shape."

The students quickly formed into their groups and eagerly looked for their advisors. Many of the volunteers today were of high ranked seats; there were third seats, Fukutaichous and even Taichous that volunteered to be here.

As Star Group gathered together, they were looking for their advisor when Hiroki spotted the star sign. The Shinigami to wield the star sign was none other than Shihoin Yoruichi.

"Ah! Yoruichi-Nee!" Miyako acknowledged in excitement to see her elder brother's close friend as her advisor today.

"Yo Miyako, it's good to see you again." Yoruichi stated as she ruffled Miyako's hair. Then Yoruichi noticed that Byakuya was also in her group today and gave him a smile, "Ah, you're here too Byakuya? Ha-ha, I have high expectations of this group today!"

"Now that everyone has found their advisors, let's move out to the Forest Training Field on the outskirts of the Rukongai."

. . .

The Advanced Class of the Academy proudly made their way to the Forest Training Grounds as they were excited to fight with their newly obtained Asauchi for the first time. Making their way through Rukongai, the devastating environment caused sadness to take over Miyako. The memory of Miyako's childhood was slowly resurfacing and the memory of her mother, Aiko, was still as strong. Miyako was born and raised in the 74th District of Rukongai until she was about four years old; that was when her mom found out that Kisuke had become a Shinigami and was living in Seireitei. Aiko was able to meet with Kisuke and offer Miyako to him explaining to him that Miyako is his sister and that Aiko was going to pass away soon. Miyako remembered that Kisuke didn't ask any questions and happily accepted Miyako and loved her ever since she was in his arms. Oh how she missed her mother, it was unfortunate that they couldn't survive together as a family but Miyako was extremely happy that she had Kisuke by her side who accepted her without a moment's hesitation.

"Alright students, we are finally here at the Forest Training Area." Gengoro's voice brought Miyako back to reality and she regained a more serious face as she observed the vast land of grass in front of her. "The officers and I are going to designate a certain area to each group and a barrier will be put up to blockade the location off. Once we finish these preparations, we will begin immediately."

Star Group was assigned to the northern part of the Training area and even though they were confident in their skills, everyone was starting to show signs of slight nervousness.

"We should probably come up with a strategy real quick. Not all of us are skilled in our Zanjutsu to defeat a hollow by ourselves." Yoshiro stated as everyone focused his or her gaze on Miyako. However, Miyako was not fazed by their looks, instead, she responded with a confident smile.

"If you are worried about me, don't. I will prove to you that I am not weak. I'm an Urahara, and Urahara's do not give up." Miyako explained, as she looked Yoshiro square in the eye, which made Yoshiro roll her eyes.

Seeing the newfound confidence that Miyako was portraying, Byakuya was interested in seeing how much Miyako grew and how her Zanjutsu skills have developed.

"That's the spirit! Now, it looks like everyone's all set to go, ready?" Yoruichi looked at her group's faces and everyone was prepared for their task today. There was not a single shred of doubt on their faces and with a crush of a coin, Hollows appeared in their section. As long as the group manages to exterminate five of the hollows, Yoruichi will deal with the rest.

The first hollow to appear in front of the group was swiftly cut down due to Hiroki and Taijo's perfect teamwork and despite the fact that Miyako only trained about four days with Kisuke; she was able to keep up her pace with her other teammates.

"Come on, we have to deal with the others!" Yoshiro commanded as if she was the leader of the group.

Byakuya and Miyako, who had been trained in Shunpo, thanks to Yoruichi, zoomed off to the next two targets leaving their three other teammates in shock. Miyako and Byakuya decided to handle a hollow each as Taijo, Hiroki, and Yoshiro worked together to defeat another one that was close by.

"Hado #33, Sokatsui!" Miyako yelled as she aimed for the weak hollow.

"Hado #31, Shakkaho!" Byakuya spoke in a calm manner as he also aimed for his own hollow.

The hollows were so weak that the kido spells were able to exterminate the hollow easily without the incantation. Even if both Byakuya and Miyako were highly skilled in Kido, their teammates were just as strong and managed to defeat their targeted hollow. Now one hollow stood in their way and the group was able to clearly see that this last hollow was different than the ones they were easily able to defeat.

As the hollow continued to approach the group, the hollow's large build was revealed. The hollow was all black and the scent of ash was projecting through the air. The hollow possessed large hands with razor sharp claws that were all black and looked as if they possessed veins of fire running through them. The hollow possessed the shape of a phoenix and on its back was a large pointed shell instead of wings. The shell was a clear shell that revealed a pit of fire in the middle. As the hollow roared at the group, a spew of fire was released.

"How the hell do we fight against that?" Taijo asked as he looked at the hollow with a slight tone of fear in his voice.

"We have to split up. This is the last one, we have to finish this quickly." Yoshiro commanded once again.

However, before anyone could move toward the hollow, the hollow released another attack of fire, which was directly aimed for Yoshiro.

_Should I jump in now?_ Yoruichi thought to herself as she was observing the group from above a tree, _No, this is also part of the training and those two, when it comes to Kido, they're quick on their feet._

Unable to react to a situation that quickly, the attack of fire was almost coming into contact with Yoshiro until a command was heard, "Bakudo #44: Sekisho!" A large wall then quickly formed in front of Yoshiro and was able to block the fire in the nick of time. Yoshiro quickly looked over to Miyako in surprise and gave a serious look that read "thanks" since she couldn't bring herself to say such things out loud. Miyako gave a nod in reply and everyone then turned their attention over to the hollow once more.

"We have to bind it and attack, there's no way we can get close to that thing with it spewing fire all over the place!" Hiroki commented.

"Then how about Byakuya and Miyako bind the hollow and the three of us will try to pierce it somehow. Once we attack it, they can release the binds and attack it with a Hado spell. How does that sound?" Yoshiro suggested.

"In order for that to succeed, they have to be quick when they switch over. Why don't one of us try to cast a Hado spell while they're binding it?" Taijo asked.

"When it comes to Kido, we aren't at their level. It's up to them, in this case, we're simply the support." Everyone glanced at each other and nods were shared between the five. There may have been tension between the group the past week but now that they are fighting together, and not against each other, they are able to trust each other and work together.

Byakuya and Miyako looked at one another and gave a nod. Byakuya prepared his Bakudo and chanted the spell while the other three quickly ran over to attack the hollow.

"Disintegrate, black dog of Rondaniini, Look upon your burning soul and sever your throat! Bakudo #9: Geki!" A red light then engulfed the target, paralyzing it. Yoshiro, Taijo, and Hiroki quickly ran over to the hollow to attempt to strike it but the hollow's skin was much harder than they thought. They were unable to leave any significant marks on the hollow and it was all up to Miyako's Hado spell but the hollow was extremely rowdy and violent and was able to slowly move even though it was paralyzed.

"Hurry up, it's too powerful!" Hiroki commented.

Miyako then prepared herself and started her chant, "Scattered beast bone! "Spire, Crimson Crystal, Steel Wheels! The wind if it moves, the sky if it stops, the tone of the spear striking fills the lone castle!"

The hollow was stronger then the others have thought and was beginning to break through the Bakudo that Byakuya cast on it, unable to hold the spell any longer, the hollow was set free and sent its three assailants flying back onto the ground.

"Urahara, aim for its back!" Byakuya yelled out as he focused his gaze on her.

"Hado #63: Raikoho!" The extreme yellow light then fired its way into the hollow's back and the hollow was eradicated instantly.

After firing such a strong Hado spell, Miyako lost her balance and had to kneel on the floor with a panted breath. Her other teammates went over to her and to Miyako's surprise; they complimented her for her hard work. Miyako returned their compliments with kind smiles.

. . .

"Well done all of you, our hollow extermination training is complete and you may all return to your dorms. Class will begin at 10 tomorrow and we will go over your report slips. Until then, keep studying. Class dismissed."

As everyone was returning to their dorms after a long day of exterminating hollows, Miyako called out to Byakuya who was surprised at the sudden initiation. Miyako held out her hand and Byakuya looked at in confusion, "Kuchiki Byakuya, I accept your offer of becoming rivals but I also hope that we can become good friends too. After all, what's Star Group without Urahara Miyako and Kuchiki Byakuya?" Miyako commented as she gave a slight laugh.

Byakuya's eyes widened with happiness as he heard those words come out of Miyako's mouth and gladly shook her hand as the two shared gentle smiles with one another.

* * *

**[[ Ah Byakuya, if only you were just as cute when you grew older but my heart still belongs to you.**

**I realize that Byakuya is a bit OOC but eh, we barely got to see him as a child.**

**Anyway, thanks for sticking around and reading chapter two!**


	3. Urahara Kisuke is Exiled

**[[ Hello everyone! It's been quite a while, I just have a note for you guys, especially the ones that followed this story from the beginning.**

**I am revising this story... again. So the contents of the first two chapters are the same and everything else, is different more or less. (I deleted everything as you can tell, haha.) Like this chapter, totally different than before. I suggest re-reading. It's been a while anyway so re-reading is highly recommended. **

**This chapter follows the storyline in the anime, just with added details.**

**I'll knock out another chapter tonight hopefully and I will see you guys soon! ]]**

* * *

Four years have passed and Byakuya and Miyako have pushed their way through the Academy together. They'll shortly be graduating in a matter of days and they were both happy that they have made a friend out of each other.

"Onii-Chan! You're going to come to my graduation right?" A cheerful Miyako asked, as she sat on the table in Kisuke's Captain's Quarters.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss your graduation for anything in the world."

Miyako had on a large grin, as she felt proud of herself. She finished school two years early, and she gets to work alongside her brother when she graduates from the Academy.

"How has it been connecting with your Zanpakuto? You have to release your Shikai in order to actually graduate, you know that right?"

"I know, I know, he just recently told me his name. I was going to go talk to Mugen no Ame again. Can I meditate in here?"

"Sure, I'm actually going to step out for a minute anyway, so I'll let you two get to know each other."

"Okay, see you later Onii-Chan!"

Kisuke ruffled Miyako's hair and gave her a smile as he left the room.

On a walk through the quads with his Lieutenant Sarugaki Hiyori and Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Kisuke and company are greeted by Captain Hirako Shinji and his Lieutenant Aizen Sousuke. Shortly, Kisuke and his group learn from Aizen and Shinji that various souls in the Rukongai have been disappearing since the start of last month. Shinji explained that these people have completely vanished, leaving only their clothes behind and the only explanation for that would be that they were unable to maintain their human form and vanished while still alive.

"They weren't able to maintain their human form and vanished while still alive?" Kisuke questioned.

"That's what I heard from Unohana Taichou. It doesn't make any sense to me." Shinji explained, "Squad 9 has been sent out and are doing an investigation on the matter."

. . .

As Squad 9 enters the field in question, Fukutaichou Kuna Mashiro questions her Captain, Muguruma Kensei, about why they're searching for something that they have no information about. She also states that they have already sent ten Shinigami to investigate the events already and that they should just let them figure things out.

However, Mashiro finds ten Shihakusho hidden behind bushes, clearly belonging to the ten Shinigami that was sent out to investigate earlier in the day. Kensei orders his fourth seat to alert the Central 46 of their findings and he instructs his sixth seat to inform the Twelfth Division so that they can receive more information.

At the Twelfth Division, Kurotsuchi, Hiyori, and Kisuke were overlooking a Gigai prototype that Kisuke designed. Todo, Kensei's sixth seat, arrives quickly and delivers the data that was gathered from the investigation. As he leaves, Kisuke asks Hiyori to go to the investigation site later as she is the only one he feels comfortable with completing this mission.

As Todo returns to the campsite, he is advised to go rest inside his tent. As everyone was preparing themselves for the night, cries of pain were heard from outside and Kensei, along with his third seat, Kasaki rushes out to see two of his men slain on the ground with Todo being the apparent murder. However, Todo himself is then killed, followed by Kasaki.

Kensei was caught off guard and found himself being slowly wrapped in darkness. Then, he is pierced with a sword through his chest, and as he looks behind to see who his attacker is, he is shocked to see that he recognizes him.

* * *

"Good night, little one." Kisuke said as he tucked Miyako into bed in his Captain's Quarters.

"Good night, Onii-Chan." Miyako slowly dozed off and Kisuke kissed her forehead before leaving the room. As Kisuke was about to head to bed, an emergency alarm then sounded across all of Seireitei.

"Emergency assembly! Emergency assembly! All squad captains, assemble immediately at Squad 1's barracks! There is an emergency with Squad 9! The spiritual pressure readings for Squad 9's Muguruma Taichou and Kuna Fukutaichou have vanished! As a result, an emergency captain's meeting will be convened!" Upon hearing the news, Kisuke immediately headed for the door but a soft voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Onii-Chan?" Miyako got out of bed at the sound of the alarm and questioned her brother, as he was getting ready to quickly leave his barracks.

"Miyako, go back to bed. I'll be back soon, okay?" Kisuke reassured her.

She held onto his haori, not wanting to let him go, "Onii-Chan…" She said worriedly.

"I promise you, everything is all right. You remember who I am? I'm an Urahara, our job is to protect people, right? I'll be back shortly." He said as he gently ruffled Miyako's hair and bolted out the door.

Kisuke quickly rushed to the Shinigami Research and Development lab,

"Where's Hiyori?!" He demanded to know, as he grew worried.

"Sh-She left a while ago." One of the lab technicians answered.

Kisuke's mind quickly fills with regret as he makes his way to the First Division.

. . .

In the captain assembly hall, Captain-Commander Yamamoto informed the captains that due to the disappearances of Kensei and Mashiro, they must resort to drastic measures.

Yamamoto wants the issue resolved as soon as possible and sends Captains Otoribashi Rojuro, Hirako Shinji, Aikawa Love, Tsukabishi Tessai, and Vice-Captain Ushoda Hachigen. Growing worried about sending in the two highest-ranking members of the Kido Corps, Kyoraku Taichou insists on sending his Fukutaichou, Yadomaru Lisa. Yamamoto agrees, and the Shinigami were sent to leave immediately.

Sensing his unease, Kyoraku assures Kisuke that Hiyori is strong enough to handle things on her own and that having faith in others is part of being a captain.

In Rukongai, Hiyori faces a large ominous figure and before the figure can land another attack on her, Shinji appears to save her.

"Shinji…"

"You idiot. Why didn't you draw your sword?"

Hiyori looked away, "Idiot. How am I supposed to draw my sword?"

As the clouds move in the direction of the wind, the moonlight uncovers the face of the ominous figure and reveals a familiar "69" tattoo.

"Kensei?!" Shinji questioned with wide eyes.

Rose, Love, and Lisa immediately catch up to Shinji and Hiyori, as they, too, were surprised to see Kensei's new appearance.

"Is that really Kensei? That mask… That reiatsu… It's almost as if he's a hollow!" Rose commented.

"I'm not sure, either." Shinji spoke, "It might be Kensei, and it might not. Anyway, what's certain is we'll die if we don't draw our swords."

Kensei, piling up his reiatsu lets out a loud roar pushing everyone back and goes to target love, who, failing to evade the blow, starts drawing out his Zanpakuto.

"No!" Hiyori calls out in protest, "Don't you see! You're fighting Kensei!"

"Quiet, Hiyori." Shinji softly speaks, "We have to stop him. If it's Kensei, then all the more reason."

"He's right, Hiyori." Rose added, "Kensei is important to us, and that's why we must stop him."

Rose and Lisa draw our their Zanpakuto's and prepare to attack Kensei when a Hollowfied Mashiro appears, knocking Rose unconscious. Mashiro quickly proceeds toward Shinji, who manages to block all of her attacks. As he stops Mashiro's attacks, Hiyori, telling him to put her down, is told to be quiet. As the captain is distracted, Mashiro nearly lands a kick on him.

Hachigen, appearing, uses Gochutekkan to restrain the Hollowfied lieutenant, saving Shinji. Above, Love continues clashing with Kensei, who is bound by Hachigen's Sajou Sabaku. As Hachigen asks Shinji what is going on and why Kensei is a Hollow, before he can get a response, Kensei breaks free of the kido.

* * *

Outside the Twelfth Division Barracks, Tessai approaches Urahara, who is wearing an all black cloak.

"That's quite an odd item you've created. Creating a coat that completely shuts out reiatsu is no ordinary accomplishment."

Kisuke gives a small smile, "Drats… you saw me."

"You're… going to rescue her, aren't you? Your Fukutaichou. I had a feeling this was going to happen by the way you were acting at the Captain's meeting. "

"Gotta hand it to you."

"We both spent our time together at Yoruichi-Sama's mansion. Did you think I wouldn't catch on to something like this?"

Kisuke narrowed his eyes slightly, "Won't you let me pass?"

"What about Miyako-Chan? What have you told her, she must be worried about you."

"I didn't tell her anything, she doesn't need to get involved. But I'll ask again… Won't you let me pass?"

"Don't be unreasonable. I'm not letting you go alone."

Kisuke was in shock as he looked at Tessai with wide eyes.

"Tonight, I like you, felt a fear beyond words. Come, let us rush there together… to where they are!"

* * *

Back in the forests of Rukongai, the Shinigami are still battling with Kensei but they are almost at their limit. Hachigen resorts to using high-level kido in an attempt to bind Kensei. Love decides to go himself and charges at Kensei while Rose fires Sokatsui at him, allowing Love to land an attack. However, the attack dealt little damage and Kensei punches Love and Lisa. Both divert him and Hachi uses Kin to bind him.

After a few moments, Shinji asks Hachi if there is any way to revert the Hollowfied captain and lieutenant back to normal, but Hachi explains that he can't fix him if he doesn't know the problem. Hiyori then starts to cough and Shinji tells him that he should heal Hiyori first.

"Shin…Shinji… Let go of… me!" A white liquid then pours out of Hiyori's mouth and Shinji is suddenly cut across the chest by Hiyori, who now has a Hollow mask formed on her face, and roars loudly as Shinji falls. As the others rush towards Hiyori, they are shrouded in darkness. Everyone, but Shinji is cut down and the light returns. Shinji recognizes the attacker, "You're… Tosen! Why did you do that to Kensei?! Why did you do that… to your own Captain?!"

"He didn't do it." A mysterious voice speaks up, "He's loyal. He loyally followed my commands, that's all." Shinji turns around to identify the person behind the voice and sees Aizen with Ichimaru Gin walking behind him, "Please don't hold it against him, Hirako Taichou."

"Ai…zen. I should've known it was you."

"So, you were on to me? You're good."

"Of course I am."

"Since when?"

"From the time you were still in your mother's womb."

"I see."

"I've always felt that you were someone dangerous, someone who couldn't be trusted. That's why I chose you as my Fukutaichou. I did it to keep an eye on you, Aizen!"

"Yes, I appreciate that Hirako Taichou." Aizen explain that Shinji's mistrust in him actually proved beneficial since he was never able to realize that the one that was walking behind him the past month wasn't actually him. He also explains to Shinji that his Zanpakuto has the ability to completely control the five senses of another. If Shinji had gotten to know him better, he would have noticed the differences and realized there was an imposter. Aizen continues saying that Shinji's reason for making him his lieutenant was not what he thinks, as anyone is allowed to reject the offer to become lieutenant, and says that he accepted the offer because Shinji's nature created the perfect place for Aizen to put his plans to work.

Aizen begins to taunt and provoke Shinji, claiming that all the others are injured because of him. Shinji quickly loses his patience and tries to attack the lieutenant, only to have a Hollow mask begin to form on his face. He turns around, and sees that the others have begun to become Hollows as well. As Shinji wails in pain, Hiyori tries to resist the Hollowfication, but is quickly cut down by Tosen.

Shinji immediately attacks him, "I don't know what's going on but if you think I'm letting you accomplish your plan, you're gravely mistaken."

Aizen is impressed, as Shinji is still in control of his body. Shinji remembers that Aizen stated that Hollowfication would progress faster if the victim were agitated, and tries to remain calm. He continues to fight Tosen, both of them parrying the other's attacks, as Aizen watches. Shinji manages to push Tosen back.

"Looks like he's losing." Gin comments.

"Yeah, looks like."

However, Shinji starts shaking and notes that it seems he is fighting in the body of another. Tosen rapidly charges at Shinji, attempting to slash him. While fighting, they cause a huge explosion on the ground. As the smoke clears, Shinji pants, now with an injury on his left shoulder, while Tosen emerges from the rubble and apologizes to Aizen. He promises to kill him quickly. The lieutenant says it's fine, since he had already anticipated this. Aizen looks at the various Hollowfying Shinigami and says that the duration of the Hollowfication process varies from person to person. Shinji, once again angered by Aizen's words, vomits a white liquid and resumes Hollowfication.

"That was quite an interesting sight but that's as far as you go, it would seem. Let's end it, Hirako Taichou." Aizen begins to unsheathe his katana, "In the end, remember one thing. Betrayal you can see is trivial.. What is truly frightening is betrayal you cannot see, Hirako Taichou. Goodbye. You people were wonderful test subjects."

Shinji curses at him while seeing his comrades Hollowfying but before Aizen gets the chance to kill him, Kisuke appears from behind and slashes the lieutenant's badge off his arm.

"Well, what an interesting guest." He says as he observes Kisuke alongside Tessai, "What brings you here, Urahara Taichou and Kido Commander Tsukabishi?"

"K-Kisuke…" Shinji's weak voice called out, "Why'd you come here, you idiot?"

"What's with that vulgar mask?" Kisuke asked.

"That's right, say what you want."

Kisuke gives a sly smile as he then turns to look sadly at his fallen lieutenant, Hiyori.

"Aizen Fukutaichou, what are you doing here?" Kisuke asks.

"Nothing. As you can see, I just happened to find the members of the investigation unit in charge of the vanishing souls case who were injured in battle, and I was attempting to rescue them."

"Why are you lying?"

"Lying? Is there a problem with a Fukutaichou coming to help his Taichou?"

"It's not that. That's not what's bothering me." Kisuke states as he observes the fallen Shinigami, "injured in battle? You call these injuries? You mustn't lie. This is a Hollowfication."

Aizen doesn't speak, "The vanishing soul case, squad members disappearing one after another as if erased, and now it's come to this. Those were probably… Hollowfication experiments."

"I see…" Aizen suddenly speaks, "You are indeed the man I thought you were. I'm glad you came here tonight." Aizen then turns to face Gin and Tosen, "Gin, Kaname… We've fulfilled our objective, let's go."

As Aizen, Gin, and Tosen prepare to leave, Tessai attacks them, specifically Aizen with Hadou 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho, which results in a large explosion of blue lightning bolting from the castor's hands. However, Aizen blocks with Bakudou 81: Danku. This causes a massive explosion in the forest, which devastates most of the area. As Tessai and Urahara look on, both totally speechless, Aizen's group has disappeared.

"That's impossible! A Fukutaichou stopped my kido using Danku without an incantation?! Forgive me… It seems I let him get away."

"Tessai… What in the world is he?"

Suddenly, Shinji's Hollowfication continues to take effect and he begins yelling in pain. Tessai asks Urahara to reverse to process but he states that he can't, as the Hollowfication has developed too much already.

"Urahara, it seems you know something about this matter. Which you described with the unfamiliar term "Hollowfication. If that's so, can I assume that you know how to deal with this as well?"

Kisuke hesitated before answering, "I do know. Although the method is a gamble."

"Understood! Even so, it's better than nothing! We'll bring all eight of them back to Squad 12's barracks in their present condition. With the facilities in the barracks, we can save their lives."

"In this condition?! But how are you going to do that?" Kisuke questioned.

"By using Time Stop and Teleport."

"What?"

"Both are forbidden techniques. Their use is strictly banned. That is why I'd like you to close your eyes and ears for a moment." As Tessai performs his Kido, a large orb of green light zaps through the night sky and teleports everyone to the Twelfth Division. While there, Urahara explains to a now exhausted Tessai how he discovered Hollowfication and reveals that his creation, the Hogyoku is the only option they have but the success rate is only twenty percent.

. . .

Morning has come and both men have come to realize that they were unsuccessful in saving their fellow Shinigami.

"Urahara…."

"I'm sorry, Tessai. It failed… I'm going to go check up on Miyako, she's probably outside meditating again." Kisuke made his way outside where he saw his little sister meditating with her Zanpakuto.

Noticing his presence, Miyako slowly opened her eyes and ran toward him with a bright smile, "Onii-Chan!"

With open arms, he lifted Miyako and returned her smile, "I told you I'd be back, didn't I?" He gave her a deep embracing hug, something he needed after his failed attempt at saving his comrades.

"Onii-Chan-" Miyako was cut off when several Shinigami appeared and surrounded Kisuke.

"What's going on?" Kisuke questioned, as he held onto Miyako even tighter.

"Captain of Squad 12, Urahara Kisuke and Kido Commander of the Kido Corps, Tsukabishi Tessai, a warrant for you arrest has been issued by Central 46! Come with us!" The Shinigami approached with wooden staffs and Miyako grew frightened.

"Ne, Onii-Chan, what are they saying?" She asked with her wavering voice.

"Academy Student Urahara Miyako, we demand you to step away at once!" One of the Shinigami nodded to his fellow comrade and he went to take Miyako from Kisuke's arms.

"Let go of me! Onii-Chan!" Miyako tried to reach Kisuke's arms as she was being dragged away but it was too late. Kisuke was apprehended and the Shinigami took him to Central 46.

"ONII-CHAN!" Miyako called out desperately as she was left alone in the field.

. . .

As Kisuke and Tessai were taken to Central 46, they were both put under a trial, or rather, an interrogation. During the prosecution, they were asked what they were doing at midnight yesterday and if it was for their Hollowfication experiments.

"Just a minute! Who told you such things?!"

"You tested Hollowfication, the results of your evil research, on the Captain of Squad 5, as well as seven other Captain-class members in the Fugai district… So, is it true?"

Kisuke was speechless and as he thought back to his encounter with Aizen, he realized he was set up to take the fall for Aizen's dirty work.

"Who was it?" Kisuke demanded to know.

"You do not have the right to ask questions!"

"Was it Aizen Fukutaichou?"

"That makes twice, Captain of Squad 12. The next time, we will add to the charges."

"That was all his doing!" Kisuke exclaimed, "We went there to rescue Hirako and the others!"

"When your lies go that far, they become comical. The Fukutaichou of Squad 5 never left the Seireitei last night."

"What?"

"We have the statements of 124 squad members and one captain. That leaves no room for doubt."

"That can't be."

"Onii-Chan!" A sudden voice called out from behind. Miyako suddenly appeared before the members of the council with a frantic look.

"How on earth did she get in here?!"

"Please! Onii-Chan and Tessai-San didn't do anything wrong!"

"Miyako?!" Kisuke called out in worry.

"Silence! We did not give you the right to speak. Guards!" At his command, two Shinigami appeared and tried to apprehend Miyako but she shunpo-ed away from them and appeared in front of the council, spreading out her arms to shield Kisuke and Tessai.

"Please listen to what they have to say! They would never do anything that would harm Soul Society! My Onii-Chan would never do anything like that!" Miyako yelled at the top of her lungs; Kisuke was only able to look at her with painful eyes.

"Miyako…" he whispered.

"Lock her up. It's best she learns her place for talking back to us, twice."

"No, don't!" Kisuke called out. However, the guards once again appeared behind Miyako and as she tried to get out of their grasp, one of them knocked her in the back of her head, making her slowly lose consciousness.

"Onii-Chan…" She said in a weak voice as she tried to reach after him.

Tears were welling up in Kisuke's eyes as he looked at her with an aching feeling. The guards shunpo-ed out of the room and Kisuke was unable to bear what he just witnessed.

Just then, a messenger arrived, "Numerous traces of Hollowfication experiments were found in the research wing of Squad 12's barracks!"

"That settles it." The council member declared as he banged his gavel three times, "I will pass sentence! Kido Commander Tsukabishi Tessai! For the crime of using a forbidden technique, you are sentenced to imprisonment in Underground Prison 3: Shugo. Captain of Squad 12, Urahara Kisuke! For the crime of conducting research on and applying taboo phenomena to deceive and cause serious injury to your fellow squad members, you are sentenced to eternal banishment to the World of the Living after you have been stripped of all Spiritual Power! Furthermore, the pitiful Captain of Squad 5 along with the other seven Captain-class members, who became the victims of your heinous experiments, will be dealt with severely as Hollows!"

"But that's… Just a minute!" Before Kisuke was able to finish his thought, a masked female suddenly barges into the building and interrupts the meeting. The woman breaks Urahara and Tessai free before escaping the vicinity with them.

. . .

Underneath Sokyoku Hill, the rescuer identifies herself as Yoruichi.

"T-Thank you, Yoruichi." Kisuke spoke.

"You don't need to thank me. I'll even save the swift kick I was going to give you for not saying a word to me last night for later."

"What about Miyako? Were you able to set her free?"

"I didn't have time to get her since she wasn't part of the equation but preparations have already been made, her friend wouldn't leave her there to rot." She explained with a smile.

* * *

In a dark and cold underground location, dungeons were lined up. Kuchiki Ginrei and Byakuya were scanning through the cells as they were looking for their targeted cell. After a few short moments, the two saw a sullen Miyako behind bars.

"Kuchiki Taichou?" She tried to make out the figures from the small candle he was holding, "Byakuya too… What are you two doing here?"

"Shihoin Yoruichi told us what happened, we are here to release you." Ginrei explained.

"Eh?"

"We've got permission from the guards to set you free." Byakuya stated as he unlocked the cell door and held out his hand for her.

"And my Onii-Chan?" She asked as she finally escaped her prison cell.

"Yoruichi said she'll explain it to you later."

"In the meantime, you are welcome to stay with us." Ginrei suggested.

"Okay…" Miyako's eyes wavered, as all she cared for at the moment was Kisuke.

* * *

"I see, thank you." Kisuke said as he feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Yoruichi then reveals that she brought the Hollowfied Shinigami as well as various Gigai prototypes with her.

"Get started on it. From the moment you heard about this incident from Hirako, you envisioned the worst-case scenario. And you also came up with the best solution to counter that."

Kisuke immediately gets to work and asks Tessai to perform a Time Stop on Hirako and the others as well and placing a double and triple barrier around Sokyoku Hill. He explains that in a matter of twenty hours, he and Tessai will create ten Gigai with Reiatsu masking function for the two of them and Hirako and co.

"What about you, Yoruichi?" Tessai questions.

"Don't worry about me. I can always manage to get away."

"We'll lay low in the World of the Living and take our time to solve the mystery. We will, without fail, find a way to undo this Hollowfication."

"I believe you will, Kisuke."

"I'll entrust Miyako to you, Yoruichi."

"I'll do what I can but there's no replacement for her 'Onii-Chan'."

Kisuke gave a small smile, "I hope she won't stop fighting."


	4. Never Stop Fighting

**[[ Note: Timeskip ahead (: ]]**

* * *

At Kuchiki Manor, Yoruichi has finally arrived to explain the situation to Miyako. The two of them went outside and talked.

"Onii-Chan… He didn't do it." Miyako stated firmly.

Yoruichi gave a small smile and put her hand on her head, "You know your brother as well as I do. Of course he didn't."

"Then why does everyone think he did those experiments?!"

"Kisuke was set up and the person that set him up, left no evidence for doubt but don't worry. He and Tessai are going into hiding and living in the Human World. They'll be safe there."

"Then, can I go too? Yoruichi-Nee, you're going to go with them aren't you? Please bring me with you!"

"Miyako… I can't do that. Kisuke would never forgive me if I took you away from here."

"Why?"

"He still believes in the Gotei 13 and he wishes to see you become a strong Shinigami, maybe even a Captain one day."

"I don't want to, not if Onii-Chan isn't here!"

Yoruichi gave a small sigh, "Kisuke told me about a training session you two had a couple of years ago, he asked you, 'Why do you choose to fight? Why do you choose to become a Shinigami?' Do you remember what you said?"

"I said I wanted to be like Onii-Chan, I wanted to get strong to protect the people I care about."

"Then do that. Get stronger and protect the people that are powerless. Protect the people that need your help. Kisuke… he's already proud of everything you've accomplished so far, he doesn't want you to throw all your hard work away. You're strong Miyako, always have been. When it's time you will see him again but in the meantime, get stronger and surprise him when you see each other again. Got it?"

"I understand… See you, Yoruichi-Nee." Miyako gave Yoruichi a tight hug as if she was hugging Kisuke.

"Until next time, Miyako.

* * *

Three days have gone by since then and it was time for the Shin'o Academy's 1,974th Graduation Ceremony.

In the Chamber of Souls, families and friends of the graduating students filled the seats immediately. There were many high-ranking nobles and Byakuya's grandfather and father were also present to witness his graduation. As excitement took over the room and everyone was chattering amongst themselves, an announcement was heard over the telecom and the murmurs that echoed through the Chamber slowly grew to silence.

**Welcome family, friends, and guests to the 1,974****th**** Shin'o Academy Graduation Ceremony! We are proud to announce that these hard working students sitting on this stage have finished all their required courses and are on the next step to becoming Shinigami in the Gotei 13! Shall we begin?**

As the intercom shut off, the audience gave a hearty applause and the names of the students were called one by one as they showcased their Shikai and received their diploma. By the time it was Byakuya's turn, the applause he received was amplified due to the acoustics. He stepped forward and released his Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura. Everyone was in awe at the beauty of his Zanpakuto and cheered even louder. He looked toward Ginrei and Sojun and gave them an accomplished smile.

Miyako was near the end of the list and when her name was finally called, there was no sound of applause at first. News has already spread about Urahara Kisuke and everyone has already shunned Miyako as if she was involved somehow. Miyako felt all eyes of disgust and repulse fall on her as she hesitated to walk up to the stage. Then, a clapping sound was heard, she looked over to the source and she saw Byakuya clapping for her. Shortly, Ginrei and Sojun joined in on the applause, aside from the teachers on the stage, the three men were the only ones that gave applause to Miyako.

"Urahara Miyako, please release your Shikai for us to see." The announcer spoke gently.

Miyako unsheathed her katana and called upon its command, "Sasayaku, Mugen no Ame (Whisper, endless rain; Google Translate)." Upon release, Miyako's katana possessed a gold five pointed star guard with its sides curved inward, a white hilt with a blue ribbon tied in the middle of it with one side of the ribbon end being slightly longer than the other, a silver ring appearing at the end of the hilt, and Japanese characters covering half of the blade vertically.

"Thank you, Urahara Miyako. Please come and receive your diploma." Miyako released her Zanpakuto, sealed her katana, and grabbed her diploma from the announcer. As she returned to her seat, she saw the audience members whispering to each other. She grew angry and clenched her fist at the sight.

Now that the graduation ceremony officially ended, all the students went outside to meet their friends and family and took pictures. Miyako observed everyone and simply looked at them with saddened eyes. As she was about to walk away, a voice called out to her.

"Miyako-Chan!" It was Sojun, Byakuya's father, "Come take a photo with Byakuya!" He spoke in a kind voice.

Miyako walked over and complied. The two stood next to each other with their arms around each other and it was the first time Miyako sincerely smiled in days.

"What a great picture, the two of you really are perfect together, such great friends."

"Ne, Miyako, we're going to have a party at the Manor, why don't you come over? You're practically a part of the family!"

"Eh? Ah... I shouldn't intrude."

"It's no problem at all." Ginrei stated, "We'd be pleased to have you join us."

"Sure, thank you."

"Alright everyone! Here are the finalized lists of Divisions! Congratulations all of you and enjoy your position in the Gotei 13!" A man declared as he pulled out a large board with names listed.

"Oh, let's go see if we got into the Divisions we wanted to Miyako." Byakuya said as he pulled Miyako alongside him to observe the board.

"Ah, I'm in the Sixth Division with Father and Grandfather! What about you Miyako, do you see your name?"

Miyako already knew in advanced that she would be working under the Twelfth Division and as she found her name, her eyes wavered. _Onii-Chan… _-

As the party at Kuchiki Manor was still lively during the night, Miyako thought it was time for her to leave.

"You sure you don't want to stay longer, Miyako?" Byakuya asked hoping she would change her mind.

"I'm sure. I had fun though Byakuya, thank you. I'll be going now, good night." As Miyako left the Manor, she made her way to the Twelfth Squad's barracks to introduce herself as their new-seated officer.

"Ah, we're stuck with Urahara's sister? We should probably keep an eye on her too." A Shinigami stated.  
"They should have banished her too, she'll probably follow in her brother's footsteps." Another Shinigami commented.

"You think she'll want revenge?" Another Shinigami asked.

Miyako heard enough; she left the barracks and went for a walk around the quads.

"Oi, get back here Urahara, you think you can just leave like that?!" One of the Shinigami yelled.

"Leave her be." A voice called out, it was Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the former Vice-Captain of the Shinigami Research and Development Institution who is now Captain of both the SRDI and Squad 12. _She'll most likely want to transfer out of here. I wouldn't blame her._

As Miyako left the barracks, she looked at the building with fierce eyes full of hatred. She took a deep breath and made her way to the park, she would sit on top of the slide and gaze at the stars. As she admires the calmness of the sky, images of Kisuke pop into her mind. She remembers his gentle voice as he calls her 'little one' and his warm touch when he ruffles her hair. She's never been given the chance to properly cry and as her memories of Kisuke overflowed, a tear falls from her eyes and as she wipes it away, more continue to fall.

"Eh? W-Why am I crying? Onii-Chan… Onii-Chan! Whaaaaaa!" She cries and wails like a lost child that night.

Byakuya, who didn't feel right leaving Miyako by herself, decides to go look for her and as he passes by the park, he spots her crying. _Miyako…_

He decides not to approach her and watches her from afar. After Miyako's eyes finally dried up from crying, she got up and headed toward the tunnel that children love crawling through. This is where Miyako has been sleeping the past few days after Yoruichi left to meet up with Kisuke.

"She's going to sleep out here?" Byakuya whispered to himself, "I thought she's been staying at Squad 12's barracks."

"Byakuya, I know you're there." Byakuya wasn't surprised that his presence was detected, "Please, I just want to be alone right now."

Byakuya stepped closer to Miyako, "You can be alone in you room at your division, why come here?"

"I hate it there," Miyako stated coldly as her icy purple eyes make contact with Byakuya's. "Everyone there, everyone everywhere, they talk about my brother and every time they speak, I resist the urge to punch them."

"Miyako… Your brother-"

"He did nothing wrong." Miyako declared, "He was Squad 12's Captain, he cared for everyone, he would never put Soul Society in harm's way. Why didn't anyone believe him?" Her voice spoke painfully as she remembered when he was taken into custody. "They talk about me too. They think I don't notice but I hear everything. None of that bothers me, what bothers me is that the reputation Onii-Chan had was destroyed by a lie."

"Miyako…" Byakuya tried to comfort her but Miyako grew cold, "Go away! I want to be alone." Byakuya was caught off guard and saddened when she raised her voice at him but he complied and went back to the Manor.

After a short while, Miyako heard footsteps near the tunnel as she tried to fall asleep, she thought Byakuya returned and raised her voice at him again, "I thought I told-" As she poked her head out, she wasn't greeted by Byakuya like she thought but by Kyoraku Shunsui, captain of the Eighth Division.

"Kyoraku Taichou…"

"Hey, Miyako-Chan, why don't we head over to my place and have some tea? It's kind of chilly out, don't you think?" Miyako hesitated but some part of her told her to go and so she did.

At Squad 8's barracks, Kyoraku and Miyako sat in a room near the outside gates and left the doors open to observe the sky. Kyoraku prepared a cup of tea and handed it over to Miyako in hopes of warming her up.

"Thank you." She said softly as she took a sip.

"Congratulations on graduating from the Academy, Miyako-Chan." Kyoraku spoke with a gentle voice.

Miyako placed her cup in her lap and focused her gaze on the floor.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to come to the ceremony to cheer for you, I was stuck behind on some paperwork and by the time I remembered about the ceremony, it was already too late."

"It's okay, you didn't really miss much."

"I see. So, are you excited that you're finally a seated officer? I remember how hard you've been studying to catch up to Byakuya-Kun."

"I suppose…"

Kyoraku softened his gaze at Miyako, "And? Have they been treating you well? Squad 12…"

Miyako thought back to their words earlier that night and tightened her grip around her cup. She bit her lip to stop her from getting angry again.

_I figured as much._ Kyoraku thought to himself, "Would you like to transfer to a new division?" The sudden question caught Miyako off guard, "A Shinigami is able to transfer to a different division if they are wanted by a division captain and if there is an available seat. I can take you into my division, if you'd like."

"Kyoraku Taichou?"

"Your brother and I, we weren't extremely close but when we did talk to one another, I can sense he was a kind and caring person. He also talked about you often, Miyako-Chan. Before I even met you, I felt like I already knew who you were. He told me that he wished you would choose a different Captain to follow under instead of him because he has already taught you everything you needed to know. He told me that… he wanted you to study under me, of all the Captains." Kyoraku explained with a small laugh.

"Onii-Chan said that?"

"You're a very bright girl, and strong at that. In due time, you'll be in the Captain's seat as well. You just need to get stronger. I can help you train and get to where you need to be, so that when you see him again, he'll be proud of you for not giving up."

"Why… Why does everyone keep telling me to get stronger? All I want to do right now is be with my brother. Why do I have to keep going?"

"Because that's your brother's wish for you. He always spoke of how much of a fighter you were and he doesn't want you to stop fighting."

"I have no motivation to get stronger. I'll stay as a 20th seat in Squad 12."

"How about I make you a deal, Miyako-Chan?"

"A deal? What kind of deal?" Miyako's interest was piqued.

"Once a Shinigami reaches third-seat level, they are able to carry out missions in the Human World; where your brother is located. If you can rise up and become a Third Seat, I'll let you visit your brother as often as you want. How does that sound? Do we have a deal?"

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course, I wouldn't lie to you Miyako-Chan."

Miyako had on a sincere smile as she went to hug Kyoraku, "Thank you… Kyoraku Taichou." He returned her hug and gave a gentle smile, "Don't stop fighting, Miyako-Chan."

* * *

"Congratulations Miyako-Chan, I'm proud of you, you became a third seat." Kyoraku complimented a now adult Miyako. "Unfortunately, I have some news for you. You're gong to be transferred to the Tenth Division."

"Eh? Why?!"

"I don't know the details but that's what Yama-Jii requested."

"Is he also keeping an eye on me?" Miyako asked.

"I don't think that's the case but maybe a new Division will be good for you, you'll learn new things. Shiba Isshin is the current Captain and I've heard great things about him. I'm sure you'll learn a lot from him."

"Then… What about our deal? You said you'd let me go to the Human World!"

"Yes, and I intend to keep my word. Urahara Miyako, this will be your final mission under my command. Go to the Human World and show your brother how much you've grown." Miyako had on a large smile, she was finally going to see Kisuke after all these years, and she couldn't believe it. _Will he recognize me? Has he changed at all? I wonder what his life is like? Is he doing okay? _Multiple questions formed in her head as the day finally came where she could go meet her brother.

"Make your way toward the Senkaimon and be safe on your way there, I don't know where Urahara is currently located but once he recognizes your reiatsu, I'm sure he's the one that's going to be looking for you. Have a safe trip, Miyako-Chan."

"Thank you again, Kyoraku Taichou." Miyako made her way to the Senkaimon located within a courtyard atop a large tower. The members of the Kido Corps that guard the gate opened the Senkaimon and allowed Miyako entrance. A Jigokucho; a black winged insect, resembling a butterfly, accompanied Miyako, as they are needed to pass through the Senkaimon and she made her way through, quickly arriving to the Human World.

Miyako was in awe since it was her first time there and she had no idea where to start looking for Kisuke.

Meanwhile, at Urahara Shop, Kisuke felt a familiar presence while he was cleaning up his shop and dropped one of his items, "This reiatsu… Miyako?" Kisuke quickly rushed to the door and as he looked outside, a female figure wearing a Shihakusho flew through the air.

After hours of searching, Miyako hit multiple dead ends, that is, until she found a small shop in a more secluded area.

"Ura…hara… Shop?" Miyako took a step closer and the door to the store opened quietly.

"It looks like you found me huh, little one? Though, you're not so little anymore, are you?" Hearing that familiar gentle voice, Miyako lost all composure and ran over to Kisuke who, with open arms, embraced her deeply in his arms.

"Onii-Chan…" Miyako spoke as she hugged her elder brother tightly.

"You've grown up so much, Miyako." Kisuke commented as he hugged her tightly.

. . .

After their teary reunion, Kisuke invited Miyako in for some tea where they decided to talk and catch up.

"It's been almost thirty (Shinigami) years since then, Onii-Chan. Thirty years without you…"

"I know it's been difficult but look at where you are now, I'm so proud of you. You've grown into a strong and beautiful adult."

Miyako gave a soft smile, "I had to keep fighting, for Onii-Chan's sake."

Kisuke was beginning to get all teary-eyed again, "So, what Squad are you in?"

"I just got promoted to Third Seat. I was working under Kyoraku Taichou but the Captain-Commander has made the suggestion that I transfer to Squad 10."

"Ah, so Shunsui did end up looking after you, I'll have to thank him again when I see him."

"Onii-Chan… I've really missed you."

Kisuke hugged Miyako and rested his chin on her head, "You don't understand how much I've missed and worried about you, Miyako. I've missed your graduation, your birthdays, and watching you grow up and rise through the rankings of the Gotei 13 and I'm happy you're here in front of me now, I'm really so _so_ proud of you."

"You know…" Miyako spoke softly, "I thought that when I saw you again, I would want to stay here but I came to realize why you loved being a Shinigami so much. I want to stay but-"

"Go back." Kisuke spoke, cutting her off. "You don't belong here. You belong in Soul Society. You will always have the option to see me again and that's why, you must go back. You don't need me anymore, Miyako. You're an adult and you're capable of making decisions on your own. I'll always be your big brother, and I'll always be proud of you no matter what. That's why, you must never stop fighting."

Miyako stayed silent for a moment, "I know all that. I'm an Urahara, remember? Urahara's don't give up." Miyako said with a smile, "Thank you Onii-Chan, for believing in me, and taking care of me. The years after you left, they were hard but I had people help me through it… I feel batter now, I think all I really needed from you then was this… a proper goodbye."

Kisuke gave a smile and ruffled Miyako's hair one last time, "Goodbye, Miyako. I love you and I'll see you again." -

Returning back to Seireitei with a lightened heart, Miyako made her way to the Tenth Division Barracks, where the Captain, Shiba Isshin, his Lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, and his Third Seat, Hitsugaya Toshiro greeted her.

"Ah, you're the new transfer!" Isshin commented as he scanned Miyako from head to toe, focusing primarily on her slender figure.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Miyako looked toward Matsumoto who had on an annoyed face and hit her Captain with a book.

"You're making her feel uncomfortable, Taichou!"

"Don't mind him, he's just a perverted, lazy Captain." Hitsugaya remarked.

"I see…" Was all Miyako could say as she gave an unsure smile.

"Your name is Miyako right?" Matsumoto asked as she grasped onto Miyako's hands.

"Yes… U- Miyako." Miyako was still hesitant in using her last name around others; for fear that they would bring up her brother's incident and speak badly of him.

"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, pleased to meet you!"

"Y-Yes, you too." Matsumoto observed Miyako intently, even moving her face closer to Miyako's.

"My, you're such a _doll_! I could just dress you up! Ne, you wanna go shopping?"

"Matsumoto Fukutaichou!" Hitsugaya scorned.

"Ah, that pipsqueak is going to be working alongside you, he's our Third seat, Hitsugaya Toshiro. A 'prodigy', I think they described him."

Miyako turned her gaze and looked at Hitsugaya who stood there with a serious and icy stance; it was obvious he grew annoyed when he said 'pipsqueak.' He didn't say anything for a moment, "Nice to meet you." His tone was too serious.

"You too. It'll be a pleasure working with you." _I've heard of him… I would love to learn something from him instead._

"Well, I'll leave her tour up to you, Matsumoto, Hitsugaya." Isshin stated as he walked away carefree.

"He's so lazy." Hitsugaya spoke under his breath.

"Well, why don't we show you to your room, we had it cleaned when we heard the news that you're transferring." Matsumoto and Hitsugaya walked Miyako through a hall with rows of doors on both sides of the wall, when they arrived at room 301; Matsumoto opened the door to a small yet peaceful room.

"I know it's small but the Taichou wanted you next to his barracks."

"Eh?" Miyako thought back to his lustful eyes and started to grow worried.

"Don't worry." Hitsugaya spoke, "My room is across from yours, that perverted Captain wouldn't dare go near you."

"T-Thank you."

"Well, why don't you make yourself at home. We don't have any assignments right now so do you wanna go shopping, Miyako-Chan?" Matsumoto asked eagerly.

"Ah, I would but I actually have somewhere I have to be." Miyako bowed at her new partners, "Thank you for the tour. I'll make sure to be back before nightfall."

"Eeeeeeeh?! Where are you going?" Matsumoto asked disappointedly.

Miyako wore a smile, different from her usual gentleness; it had a hint of… pain. "A friend of mine is getting married soon, I'm part of the wedding party."

"Ooh, a wedding! I _love_ weddings. who's getting married?"

"Kuchiki Byakuya."

* * *

**[[ May have been a bit boring but it was a necessary chapter for future chapters.  
**

**It's nice to have backstory anyway. Hope you all enjoyed, let me know what you thought about the story so far.**

**And again, thank you for sticking with me and reading Chapter 4 of So Close Yet So Far! ]]**


	5. Kuchiki Hisana

**[[ This is a fairly short chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. ]]**

* * *

At Kuchiki Manor, preparations were being made to prepare for the upcoming wedding in a week. Rehearsals start today and the wedding party was quite little, considering that Byakuya and his fiancé wanted to keep the ceremony small with relatives and friends.

After getting introduced to her new Squad, Miyako made her way to Kuchiki Manor where she was treated like a member of the family and she spotted Byakuya standing in the back yard, observing the cherry blossom trees. He wore a white kimono, draping over his Shihakusho, and his long black hair flew in the direction of the wind.

"Byakuya!" Miyako called out in her gentle voice.

"Miyako, you've arrived. I heard about your promotion, congratulations."

"Thank you! I told you I'd catch up to you soon, ne, Byakuya?" Miyako gave a small laugh.

"Ah, Miyako-San, you're here!" A petite woman with pale skin and short black hair greeted. The woman smiled softly, giving her a gentle and delicate appearance.

"Hisana, I wouldn't miss rehearsal no matter what, you two made me do almost everything." Miyako laughed jokingly.

Hisana chuckled softly, "We wouldn't have all this if it wasn't for you, Miyako-San. Byakuya-Sama and I really do appreciate everything that you've done for us."

"Anything for my two best friends."

"Have you written your speech yet?" Byakuya asked, knowing Miyako wasn't really good with speeches.

"Uhm… I'm… getting there?"

"Was there a question mark at the end of that sentence?"

Miyako scratched her head embarrassingly and gave a smile, "Don't worry. I know exactly what I'm going to say."

"Shall we start our rehearsal then?" Hisana insisted.

With the wedding party only consisting of Byakuya's family that is already at the Manor, and Miyako, the rehearsal went by fairly quick. After about three reruns, everything was executed perfectly. Nightfall was approaching, and the staff members cleaned up the back yard for the night, happy with the successful rehearsal.

"I'm going to turn in for the night." Hisana spoke as she bid goodbye to Miyako.

"I'll be right there Hisana." Byakuya turned his attention to Miyako and thanked her for her help today.

"Hisana has really taken a liking to you, I appreciate everything you are doing for us."

"Like I said, anything for my two best friends." Miyako stated with a smile.

* * *

It was finally time for the wedding and Miyako managed to get the day off, thankfully her new Captain was lenient towards her. Before she left the barracks, Matsumoto stopped her, "Ne, Miyako-Chan, is it okay if I come and watch too?" Matsumoto had on an innocent smile as she hoped that that would convince Miyako into letting her go.

"Ah, that's not really my call…" Matsumoto then turned her face into a frown and looked at Miyako with her puppy eyes, "But I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem. Do you have something to wear?"

"Of course I do!" Matsumoto ran to her room and quickly changed; when she emerged she was wearing a sleeveless purple dress that was decorated with white ruffles on the sweetheart neckline. The dress also had a layer of sheer purple fabric draping over it and a large slit, revealing her left leg. "So, how do I look?"

"You look… beautiful, Matsumoto Fukutaichou." Miyako stated as she was shocked by her Lieutenant's new appearance.

"Hehe, I love dressing up, and I would love to dress _you _up. We should definitely go shopping one day!"

"I'll take you up on that offer, Fukutaichou." Miyako said with a smile.

The two girls quickly made their way to Kuchiki Manor and Matsumoto sat with the other guests while Miyako met up with Hisana.

"Ah, Miyako-San, perfect timing. Your dress has arrived and the ladies are all set to do your hair and makeup."

"I see. Then, I'll go get ready and help you in your gown when I'm all finished."

Miyako was instructed to a different room where her three stylists greeted her.

In the middle of the room, hanging on a rack, was a white kimono that was beautifully decorated with purple orchid patterns. Miyako was in astonishment at the beauty of the fabric and she couldn't believe that she was going to wear something so luxurious.

"This… I'm going to wear this?" Miyako questioned the ladies. The all smiled and nodded at her.

"We must prepare you for the ceremony, Miyako-San." The ladies made their way over to Miyako, lead her to her seat, and they immediately began to work.

After about an hour or so, Miyako was all set for the wedding. Her hair was put up into an intricate updo with her bangs framing her face, small crystals decorated her hair, and her makeup was simple yet elegant. She was also instructed to put on the kimono and when she did, she felt completely out of place.

"You look absolutely stunning." Hisana commented as she walked in on Miyako.

"Hisana…"

"Did you look in the mirror yet?" At Hisana's request, the ladies pulled over a full-length mirror and when Miyako saw her reflection, she didn't even recognize herself. Since Kisuke was raising her, she's never been one to dabble in feminine things much so she's thankful that she got to be made up, even if it's just for one day. As she continued to look at her reflection, she was speechless and the ladies all smiled at her.

"Thank you," Miyako spoke, "For making me feel like a girl again."

Hisana gave a gentle smile at Miyako and told her it was almost time for the ceremony to start.

"Let's get you into your gown then." Miyako and Hisana went back to Hisana's room and got her into the traditional gown that is given to the bride on her wedding day.

"You look beautiful Hisana, I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Miyako-San." Hisana gave Miyako a hug and a staff member, letting them know that the ceremony is starting, then interrupted the two.

"I should go get to my place, see you soon."

As everyone was getting into his or her positions, Miyako saw Byakuya pacing back and forth behind the scenes.

"You nervous?" Miyako asked suddenly as she walked toward Byakuya.

"A bit. I'm happy to finally call her my wife but I suppose nerves are inevitable."

"You are going to make a great husband." Miyako stated as she tried to mask the pain behind her words.

"Byakuya-Sama, please head to your position now." A staff member announced.

"Yes, I'll be right there." Byakuya told the man, he then looked back to Miyako and gave her a smile, "Thank you, Miyako." He then left to stand at the end of the aisle to wait for his bride. Miyako followed her eyes at his disappearing silhouette and gave a sigh.

Shortly, music began to play and it was Miyako's turn to walk down the aisle. Miyako played all the important roles today. She was the flower girl for starters and as she swept the floor with the rose petals, she looked toward Byakuya, who was standing there in his beautifully decorated kimono, waiting for… someone who wasn't her. Once Miyako finished her duty as flower girl, it was time for Hisana to walk down the aisle.

The guests stood up and watched Hisana walk gracefully down the aisle; even Matsumoto was stunned by Hisana's beauty. She glanced over to Miyako who wasn't looking at Hisana but at Byakuya. Matsumoto was able to pick up the pain in her eyes as Miyako gazed at Byakuya and saw how happy he looked while Hisana was walking toward him. Miyako turned her gaze away and her eyes met Matsumoto's who gave her a questioning look. Miyako quickly turned her gaze away and avoided eye contact.

Once Hisana reached the end of the aisle, she gave Miyako her bouquet to hold.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of our Byakuya-Sama and the beautiful Hisana-Sama. If there are any objections, now would be the time to speak." No one said a word and the Officiant continued, "May we have the rings please?" Miyako walked forward and gave the rings to the bride and groom. "Do you, Byakuya, take Hisana, to be your wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do you part?"

"I do." Byakuya answered as he placed the ring on Hisana's finger.

"And do you, Hisana, take Byakuya to be your wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do you part?"

"I do." She spoke softly as she placed the ring on Byakuya's finger.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Byakuya-Sama."

Hisana and Byakuya shared their first kiss as a married couple and applause surrounded them. They walked back inside the Manor where a party will commence to celebrate this day.

At the party, Miyako was asked to prepare a speech for Byakuya and Hisana and as the party was coming to an end, Miyako saw her chance to speak.

"Excuse me, everyone." Miyako spoke as she tapped a spoon against her glass cup, "Thank you for your attention. I would like to say a few words about the bride and groom if you'd all please take a moment and have a seat." The guests complied with Miyako's words and all eyes were on her.

"First of all, I want to thank everyone who came today. Secondly, I want to congratulate Byakuya and Hisana on their marriage." Miyako looked over to her two friends and gave them a smile, "Now, I've known Byakuya since our Academy days years ago, and I am thankful for every moment we spent together, he has become an irreplaceable friend and his family became my family in my time of need. I am forever indebted to the Kuchiki Clan. With that being said, Hisana, you are very lucky to have found this man and take him as your husband. He is strong, kind, caring, loving, and just amazing in everything he does. But most of all, he loves with his entire being and I'm happy that the person he chose to love was you."

Byakuya and Hisana held each other's hands and smiled at one another as they returned their attention back to Miyako, "I've only known Hisana for about a year and a half but she's become like a sister to me. She's gentle, caring, and loving, no wonder Byakuya loves her so much. These two people were made for each other and they were made to find each other. These two people are my best friends and I couldn't be any happier than I am now." Miyako raised her glass, "To Byakuya and Hisana."

* * *

After the party ended, Miyako and Matsumoto made their way back to Squad 10's barracks and as Miyako was trying to go back to her room, Matsumoto stopped her, "Miyako-Chan…"

"Matsumoto Fukutaichou, is there something you need?"

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Why didn't you tell Kuchiki Byakuya that you love him?!"

"…"

"Miyako-Chan! You just saw the person you love marry another woman!"

"What's going on? Why are you being so loud, Matsumoto Fukutaichou?" Hitsugaya walked out from his room after all the commotion that Matsumoto was making.

"I'm afraid." Miyako whispered.

"Afraid of falling in love?" Matsumoto questioned, as if she too was in pain.

"No, I'm not afraid of falling in love. There are many things I currently love; my Onii-Chan, this Squad, my friends… What I am afraid of is falling so deeply in love with someone and investing my life into theirs only to discover that they do not feel the same about me. Byakuya… he's already responded to my feelings. I'm just glad it's Hisana he chose of all people." Miyako walked past Matsumoto and locked herself in her room.

"Matsumoto Fukutaichou…"

"Don't worry about it, Hitsugaya. It's just some girl talk."

* * *

The next day, Miyako was called over to Kuchiki Manor.

"Ah, Miyako-San, you've arrived. There's something I'd like to talk to the two of you about."

Miyako and Byakuya looked at each other with serious expressions, "Is everything alright Hisana?" Miyako asked.

"There is something I thought I should share with the two of you… As you know, I was growing up in Inuzuri but I neglected to mention that I was not on my own; I had a little sister to take care of as well."

Miyako and Byakuya's eyes widened, "A little sister?" They questioned in unison.

"It was difficult to live in Inuzuri so I abandoned my sister and fled. I regretted it very deeply, I still do and so, I wanted to let you two know that I will be searching for her for as long as it takes."

"But it's dangerous of you to do so, Hisana." Byakuya explained.

"She is my sister. I'm sure you understand the feelings, Miyako-San?"

Miyako thought back to her past with what happened to Kisuke and how she did everything in her power to be able to see him again. Thinking back to what Kisuke said about being apart from her, Miyako completely understood Hisana's feelings.

"Byakuya, I think you should let her go."

"What are you saying?"

"Hisana's strong, she'll be fine and it's not right to keep her away from her sister like that."

Byakuya hesitated before he looked back to Hisana, "If this is what you desire, then I shall not argue against you."

"Thank you." Hisana smiled, "Thank you both of you."

* * *

Five years later.

A frantic, worried looking Miyako was seen quickly running to Kuchiki Manor and as she reported to the room Byakuya was in, the scene that greeted her, appalled her.

"Hisana!" Hisana was lying on a mattress, looking frail and weak with Byakuya by her side. Miyako quickly made her way to Hisana and grabbed onto her hand.

"Miyako-San, I'm glad you're here. I have a request to ask of the two of you… Please find my sister. And when you find her, please don't tell her that I am her sister."

"This is bad for your body. Don't speak anymore." Byakuya commented, as he grew worried about his wife's condition.

"Byakuya-Sama, Miyako-San, somehow, please protect my sister with your powers, without telling her the truth. I abandoned my sister."

"Hisana…" Miyako spoke softly, as if she was scolding her.

"I don't have the right to be called her sister. So please, I would like her to look at you, Miyako-San, and have her call you Nee-Sama. And you, Byakuya-Sama, I would like her to be able to call you Nii-Sama."

"One flower would like to bloom. Look." Byakuya tried to turn her attention to the plum blossom bud trying to bloom outside her window.

"Miyako-San, I'd like to tell you a secret, please, lend me your ear."

Miyako hesitated for a moment but bent down anyway, "I'm sorry I took Byakuya-Sama away from you and thank you for letting me enjoy my time with him. Please, do not hesitate to go after your feelings. I fully support you. I hope you two live happily together. All I want is for you both to be happy."

Miyako was shocked at Hisana's words, "You knew?" Miyako whispered. Hisana didn't answer. She only gave a smile.

"Byakuya-Sama, I'm sorry that you have had to care for me at the very end. I'm sorry that I could not return the love that you have given me. These five years that I have spent with you have been like a dream to me, Byakuya-Sama…"

Her eyes slowly closed and Hisana passed away that spring. Byakuya and Miyako cried as they continued to hold onto her hands.

. . .

The following year, Byakuya was able to find Rukia studying at Shin'o Academy and immediately had her enter the Kuchiki family. As it was with Hisana, the Elders of the family argued that allowing someone from the Rukongai to stay with the family would only lower the family's name but Byakuya wanted to keep his last promise with Hisana.

Ultimately, he made a promise at his parents' graves, stating that he would never break the rules again.

* * *

**[[ And that is the end of the backstories.  
**

**Now on to the main timeline!**

**I hope you enjoyed it so far, thank you for sticking with me!**

**Until next time! ]]**


	6. Squad Nine's New Captain (20 Yrs Later)

**[[ This is where the story begins with what I had originally.**

**I hope you all enjoy! ANd please let me know your thoughts! ]]**

* * *

In Soul Society, after the war with Aizen has ended, three captain seats were left vacant and the Captain-Commander is urgently looking for anyone that can fill those seats. Therefore, a captain's meeting was called and the present nine captains all gathered in the Captain Assembly Hall. Unbeknownst to them the reasons for meeting, murmurs were spreading about amongst the captains. With the final entrance of the Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai, the meeting has finally come to a start.

With the banging of his staff, which echoed throughout the room, he insisted silence at once. His regal manner and serious atmosphere caught the attention of the captains. He cleared his throat and began to speak, "As all of you are already aware, the previous Captain of Squad 3, Ichimaru Gin, has been killed in our battle against Aizen leaving Squad 3 without a captain. As for Squad 9's Captain, Kaname Tosen, he was defeated by Hisagi Fukutaichou and left Squad 9 without a captain. Lastly, Squad 5's previous Captain, Aizen Sosuke, was sent to 2O,OOO years in Muken: the 8th and lowest level of the underground prison, also leaving Squad 5 without a Captain. I have gathered you all here today to see if any of you have recommendations on possible candidates to acquire the title of 'Captain.' For the sake of Soul Society and maintaining peace, we must fill those seats immediately."

As the Captain-Commander finished his thoughts, the other captains were all caught by surprise. Such a sudden request was being made and the captains were going over in their heads to see who would be worthy enough to take the title of 'Captain.' Discussion broke out between the other and they came to realize that even though most of their Fukutaichou's may have achieved Bankai, they are not ready for the captain position yet. After about 15 minutes of discussion, one captain spoke out in response to Yamamoto's request.

"I know someone who may be long overdue for a promotion. Her powers have developed impressively and I believe she will not let you down. I recommend my third seat, Miyako." The captain that recommended their third seat was Hitsugaya Taichou of the 1Oth Squad. He looked at the other captains as well as the Captain-Commander with a face of certainty; Hitsugaya firmly believed that the recommendation he made was an absolute good one. "Before my time as Captain, Miyako was already a seated officer in the Gotei 13. She has fought beside me as a third seat and when I took over Isshin's title, I already knew Miyako's talent didn't fit with a third seat position. I am conscious of both her strengths and weaknesses from the years of fighting together and she has already achieved Bankai. She is a worthy fighter, but since she prefers to work in the shadows, we are not fully aware of the potential she possesses. Captain-Commander, shouldn't we test her to see if all those years of training have finally paid off?"

Yamamoto was silent for a moment as he was thinking it over and shortly, he ordered Hitsugaya to have Miyako come to the First Division's Barracks tomorrow so that she can partake in the Captain Proficiency Test. The Proficiency Test requires the Shinigami aspiring to become a captain to use their Bankai. At least three existing captains, including the Captain-Commander and the captain that made the recommendation, have to witness the test. The Captain-Commander also ordered Captains Ukitake and Unohana to be the witnesses of the test and report to the First Division's Barracks tomorrow morning at 8:3Oam.

. . .

"Eh? You recommended me to take the Captain Proficiency Test?!" After the meeting was called to an end, Hitsugaya returned to his Squad and informed Miyako about what today's meeting was about and how she was recommended to take the position of captain. "Hitsugaya Taichou, with all due respect, I appreciate you recommending me but… 'Captain'? I don't think I'll be able to handle such a strong position. You already know that I am not leader material."

"That is not true. If I did not think you were capable for the position, I would not have recommended you. I believe in your power Miyako, you just have to believe in them yourself. I'll be accompanying you tomorrow to Squad 1's Barracks so don't worry."

"Don't worry? I'm going to have to display my power in front of the Captain-Commander, Ukitake Taichou, and Unohana Taichou, how can one _not _worry?"

"Miyako, you'll be fine. I believe in you." Hearing such words from her captain just added more pressure to the situation at hand. She gave a sigh as her response and told Hitsugaya that she was going to take a walk to clear her mind before taking the test tomorrow.

As Miyako was walking around the paths of Seireitei she decided to pay her longtime friend a visit and made her way to Kuchiki Manor. Upon reaching the manor, she was greeted by Tanaka, Byakuya's personal attendee who has been serving the manor for decades.

"Ah, Miyako-Dono, it's a pleasure to see you today. Are you here to visit Byakuya-Sama?"

"Yes, is he busy? If he is, I'll be sure to come back another time."

"No, he is just taking his afternoon tea, you may join him in the garden and I'll be sure to bring another cup for you."

"Thank you very much Tanaka."

"Anything for you, Miyako-Dono."

Miyako responded to Tanaka's kindness with a gentle smile and made her way to the garden.

Despite having been born into Soul Society many decades ago, Miyako still possesses a young and beautiful appearance. Her appearance complimented her name greatly and she has a kind personality to match. Her pale and flawless complexion made her purple eyes shine brightly and her long wavy tricolored hair of lavender, white, and beige sparkled against the shining sun. Her bangs were swept to the right and framed her face perfectly. She wore a modified Shihakusho that fitted her right below her shoulders highlighting the silver star pendant she wore around her neck. Her Shihakusho possessed long sleeves that flared out at the ends and the bottom of her uniform was cut short around her mid thigh section and flared outward. A white obi was tied around her waist that secured her Zanpakuto and she wore long black over-the-knee boots.

Finally reaching her destination, she saw a regal Byakuya sitting at a white table enjoying a cup of tea as he gazed at the beautiful cherry blossom that were dancing in the wind.

Sensing her presence, he stopped for a moment and looked behind him causing Miyako to greet him with a smile.

"Miyako. What brings you here today?" he asked as he gestured toward the chair to have her sit and enjoy tea with him.

Tanaka was then seen preparing an extra cup of tea and poured it for Miyako immediately. Miyako thanked Tanaka for his hard work and sat in the seat across from Byakuya.

"Ne, Byakuya, you know right? About the Proficiency Test?"

"I was quite surprised when Hitsugaya Toshiro recommended you today. I believe you've stated countless times that you were not interested in the position of Taichou."

"I wasn't. After with what happened with Onii-Chan and the incident 5 years ago, I didn't want to be a Taichou at all. I couldn't."

"Your powers are beyond a third seat Miyako. You deserve to be called 'Taichou.'"

"I… I don't think I can do it."

"If I never had faith in your abilities, do you think I would have declared you my rival during our Academy days?"

Miyako had on a small smile as she thought back to their childhood days, "I suppose not. I always dreamed of catching up to you."

"Now's your chance. You simply have to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you."

"Why is it that you always know what to say to calm me down?" Miyako commented with a smile.

"We've been by each others side for over fifty years, it would be stranger if I didn't, wouldn't it?" Byakuya explained as he gave a soft smile.

"You got that right."

* * *

It was finally time for Miyako's Proficiency Test and even though she appeared calm yesterday after her talk with Byakuya, she is once again a nervous wreck. She was fidgeting with her fingers and she barely talked, anyone was able to see how nervous she was. Miyako was led inside of Squad 1's Barracks and was escorted to their training hall. Inside the hall were the Captain-Commander, Hitsugaya Taichou, Ukitake Taichou, and Unohana Taichou who were kneeling down on pillows in a row facing the entrance. As Miyako stepped forth, she felt a rush of nerves hit her as she faced the captains.

Miyako looked at her captain and as their gaze met, Hitsugaya gave her a look of confidence. He gave her a smile and that's when Miyako realized that as Hitsugaya Taichou's subordinate, she couldn't let him down. If she fails this test, she will bring embarrassment to her captain and so she took a deep breath that was able to calm her down a bit. She walked in front of the captains and bowed to them, "Squad 1O's third seat, Urahara Miyako, is present!"

"Very well." The Captain-Commander began, "I hope you are able to show us this power that Hitsugaya Taichou has informed us about. Whenever you are ready Miss Miyako, proceed to show us your Bankai."

"Hai." Miyako answered as she unsheathed her katana. Miyako held up her katana vertically and called out, "Bankai." As Miyako called out her Bankai, a strong spiritual pressure was being released from her as well as her katana. As the spiritual pressure was starting to be more controlled, Miyako's new appearance came as a surprise to everyone, well, everyone except Hitsugaya Taichou.

Miyako's hair turned a deep ocean blue color that sparkled as if it was the real sea with two star seashells at both ends of her head connected with shining pearls and crystals draping over her hair. Her Shihakusho transformed intro a deep blue color and was accented by many gold designs. Her kimono fitted her below her shoulders, had long sleeves that fanned out at the ends and was cut short to her mid thigh area; similar to her original Shihakusho's design. The obi was also the same matching blue color and was heavily decorated with pearls, gold accents, and sparkling glitter. Fabric, of the same design as the obi, fell from the obi and draped over the two sides of her legs. She wore on matching blue pumps and on Miyako's legs appeared beautiful blue swirl designs that were scattered about her legs.

As for Miyako's Zanpakuto, it no longer took the form of a sword but instead, it transformed into the shape of a staff. The staff's handle was the same ocean blue color that Miyako currently possesses and it is highly decorated with silver designs and sparkling crystals. The main part of the staff consisted of a blue orb made of water surrounded by designs of ice forming a beautiful pattern. At the ends of those patterns were two big thin silver crescent moons that almost connected from their opposite sides to form an 'O' shape. At the tip of the staff is a beautiful blue crystal. Miyako's Bankai was called, "Kōzui Mugen no Ame" (a flooding endless rain; Google translate)

"Impressive." The Captain-Commander commented, "I've only seen a few water based Zanpakuto in my time. Can you demonstrate some of its power?"

Miyako took her staff and stood it on the ground while she released her Bankai's power, "Shi no Uzu" (Whirlpool of Death; GT) A light shone from the orb of water in the staff and a sudden burst of water appeared in front of the crowd. The water surrounded Miyako and covered at least 5 yards of space in all directions as Miyako was in the center of the ball of water. Anyone can tell by looking at the pool of water that it was powerful and that she held back on its power in order to prove that she was able to successfully control the amount of damage her Bankai possesses. Shi no Uzu surrounded Miyako in a barrier of water trapping nearby enemies and sucking away their oxygen causing them to die of drowning. However, Shi no Uzu's power didn't only affect the people trapped inside the orb of water but those standing outside of it as well. The temperature of the air outside of the orb of water then drops with Miyako's ability to control water level and as the water droplets form in the air, the enemies inhale it and they take over her opponent's body. The water continues to freeze at lightening fast rates as it enters into her opponent's body causing them to die of internal injury.

"Enough." The Captain-Commander ordered as he looked at Miyako's Bankai with a straight face. "Undo your Bankai Miss Miyako." Miyako did as she was commanded and released her Bankai, causing her appearance and katana to return to normal. Everyone turned their attention over to the Captain-Commander and Hitsugaya had an obviously worried look on his face.

"I remember seeing you grow up in the walls of Seireitei as your brother, Urahara Kisuke, rose through the rankings of the Gotei 13. Before I give you my final result, I must ask you: what path will you follow as a Captain of the Gotei 13?"

"Captain-Commander. The path I chose to follow was the same path my brother has always followed. He fought to protect the people he cared about and to maintain peace. Though the methods he chose were highly risky to the safety of Seireitei, I believe his reason was just and he was unfairly exiled for it. The path I follow involves protecting the people I care about with my life. That is the path I choose Captain-Commander."

All the captains that were present gave a smile in reply to her words and Yamamoto told her that she had passed her test. She was declared Squad Nine's new captain and will start her duties right away. Her haori was given to her later that day and she is now officially a captain of the Gotei 13.

* * *

"Hello everyone, I know I may not be familiar with most of you but I hope I get the chance to get to know all of you soon and I hope that you'll accept me as your new captain." Miyako gave a bow to her new squad and surprisingly, almost everyone accepted her with warm welcomes. Miyako wore a sleeveless haori that fitted below her shoulders and was secured under her obi.

"Who would've thought the day would come when you became a captain," Her new Fukutaichou, Hisagi Shuuhei, teased as he grinned at his new captain.

"Watch it Shuuhei," Miyako teased, "I heard there's a mountain of paperwork to be done in this squad. Shall I put you in charge of that?" she said as she gave a wink to her Fukutaichou.

"Ah, come on Urahara Taichou, you don't know how I excited I was to hear you became a captain!" Hisagi said while trying to wiggle his way out of paperwork.

Watching Hisagi and Miyako talk so formally to each other, the squad members were completely surprised and questioned what their relationship was. In truth, after Hisagi became a Shinigami, he and Miyako got along fairly quickly. Seeing the kind person that Miyako truly was, the squad members were appreciative of being able to gain a captain like Miyako.

However, a voice then spoke out in protest against Miyako's new position as Captain of Squad 9. Miyako looked at the girl and she instantly remembered those green eyes and the purple bob. That voice rung in her mind as clear as day as if she was back at the Academy.

"Yoshiro, it's good to see you too. I almost completely forgot about you." Miyako greeted as she gave a gentle smile to her former bully.

"Oh, don't give me that nice act. I absolutely do NOT accept you as captain!"

"Yoshiro!" Hisagi shouted in a tone of punishment.

"Hisagi Fukutaichou, don't tell me you forget what happened when our so called 'Taichou' here was in charge of a mission years ago that cost the lives of four of our own Shinigami! I don't want someone as weak as her to become my captain. She failed as a leader and she failed to complete her mission. That was a mission that brought shame upon Squad 1O and the creator of such shame is supposed to be our new Captain?! I do not accept it." Yoshiro focused her gaze on Miyako and gave her a menacing glare that Miyako remembered from her childhood days; the glare of disapproval, disgust, and anger.

"Oi, Yoshiro! How can you say su-" Before Hisagi was able to finish his sentence, a hand motioned for him to stop. He looked over to Miyako who had her head focused on the floor and anyone was able to tell that she was clearly upset about what just spewed out of Yoshiro's mouth. However, Miyako lifted her head and looked at Yoshiro with a soft gaze that made Yoshiro even angrier.

"Yoshiro, you tell me, if you were in such a situation, how would you have reacted? You were not there and the details of what happened were not officially shared with anyone so please, if you've heard the story, tell me how you would have done anything different. It's true; I failed my mission, my teammates were killed in action, and Hitsugaya Taichou took the fall for everything. I disappointed him and I failed to protect my comrades. I have not forgiven myself for what I have done but I can promise you that the same fate will not come upon you."

"Oh yeah? And how can we believe that? You just told us yourself, you're unreliable as a leader!"

"Each of you should be able to put up a fight without relying on your captain to come save you because once you do that, your fate is sealed. You each have your own strengths and weaknesses as I have mine. But, once you stop taking your opponent seriously and become dependent on those who posses "more power" then you will ultimately lose your battle. My job is to support each and every one of you as well as to protect my reason for fighting. Your job is to grow stronger and rise above the current captains. If you can't do that, then who will lead the next group of squads? I am not here to prove to you that I'm not the same person I was years ago when I took charge of that mission, I'm here to support you and watch you grow by each other's side. Do you understand?"

The squad members looked at Miyako with respect and even Hisagi, who knew Miyako for a long time, was surprised to hear such a thing come from her mouth. Yoshiro, on the other hand, couldn't stand the fact that Miyako became captain when she, herself, worked so hard to become a member of the Gotei 13 and only landed a sixth seat position.

"Fight me then." Yoshiro suddenly declared as she continued to glare at Miyako, "If you lose against me, you will resign from your position as Captain."

Miyako didn't answer.

"Miyako, are you sure this is a good idea?" Hisagi asked, as he wanted to stop Miyako from taking Yoshiro's bait.

"Do not worry, Shuuhei." She assured him. She then turned her focus back over to Yoshiro and asked, "What if I win?"

"Then I'll leave you be. But we are not releasing our Zanpakuto's at all."

"That sounds perfectly fine with me." Miyako replied with a smile.

. . .

Miyako, Yoshiro, Hisagi, and the rest of the squad made their way to Squad Nine's outside training area and both fighters took their position.

"Whoever lands a hit on their opponent first is the winner." Yoshiro declared.

Miyako agreed and they both took their stances. The onlookers didn't know what to expect of such a scene. It was normal to have a captain train with their subordinates but this had an entirely different feel to it.

Yoshiro quickly lunged at Miyako who was able to easily dodge the attack. Yoshiro noticed that Miyako had an opening on her side, and quickly aimed for it but Miyako was able to shunpo away and target Yoshiro from the back who was able to easily use her katana to dodge a blow to her body.

Yoshiro lunged at Miyako once again with a much greater force and Miyako was still able to keep up with Yoshiro's quick Zanjutsu skills but then Miyako was a step behind and Yoshiro almost landed a hit on Miyako's shoulder until Miyako performed Bakudo #21: Sekienton. Sekienton creates a blast upon activation and is used like a ninja's smoke bomb. As smoke filled the air, Miyako was able to quickly escape but Yoshiro was able to quickly sense her presence and was able to dodge causing her body to get slammed on the ground.

"Oi! Kido? That's cheating! We are supposed to be fighting with our katana!" Yoshiro yelled out as the smoke was starting to clear and revealed that the attack earlier had no affect on her.

"Cheating? There's no cheating in fighting. And the rules were simply to use our katana in their normal state. Kido was not mentioned."

Yoshiro scoffed at Miyako and lunged once again at Miyako who was prepared to dodge the attack but to Miyako's surprise, Yoshiro used Hado #4: Byakurai as her attack and Miyako managed to barely escape. As Miyako shunpo-ed to the air, Yoshiro quickly appeared behind her and fired Hado #31: Shakkaho. Miyako fired a Shakkaho of her own and another cloud of smoke appeared in the training grounds once again. As Yoshiro shunpo-ed to the ground, behind her was Miyako who fired Bakudo #62: Hyappo Rankan which caused numerous rods of energy to aim for Yoshiro and pin her to the wall behind her but Yoshiro was able to deflect the rods with her katana and lunge at Miyako.

Yoshiro attacked swiftly in order to stop Miyako from performing another Kido spell and the two were now in close contact with their katana's between them.

"Why don't use your Zanjutsu? Why fight with Kido? Have you not improved your Zanjutsu skills, Urahara Miyako?!" Yoshiro challenged as she pushed Miyako back.

Miyako took a deep breath and lunged at Yoshiro who was able to continuously dodge Miyako's attacks. Then, a slash mark was finally seen on someone's upper right arm and the battle came to an end.

With a slash mark tearing through her haori and causing blood to drip, Miyako was the first to have a hit land on her body and was declared the loser but something wasn't right.

Yoshiro walked up to Miyako and confronted her, "Why, if I won, does it feel like I lost?"

Miyako stood from where she was and looked into Yoshiro's eyes, "You looked down on your opponent. Once you do such a thing, you are no longer declared worthy of fighting against."

"So what do you mean? You went easy on me?"

"It wasn't that I went easy on you, I decided that… you weren't worthy of me using my full force. The Kido was a tactic to teach you to not underestimate me and to take me on seriously."

"So the openings you had…"

"They were on purpose. I wanted to test your fighting style and see what you think about when you fight. If this were a test, then you would have failed despite being the winner. Get your act together Yoshiro. Being a Shinigami isn't about obtaining power. Why do you choose to fight? Why did you become a Shinigami and join the Gotei 13?"

"Why? Isn't it obvious? To become a captain!"

Miyako looked at Yoshiro with disappointed eyes and began to walk away, "Wrong answer. Looks like I'm going to be staying around for a bit."

As Miyako walked away, Yoshiro couldn't believe what just happened. She was furious and she walked away with a heated head and a heavy stomp.

"Ne, Hisagi Fukutaichou, what exactly happened?" one of the squad members asked as he was confused by the outcome of this battle.

"You all were paying close attention to this right? Urahara Taichou told me a long time ago that if you look down on an opponent then you are not giving them the respect of being a worthy opponent. You will appear as too arrogant and that will reveal all your weaknesses. The more arrogant Yoshiro got, the weaker her form became and the more openings she had. Yoshiro was only intent on winning against the Taichou that she didn't realize the purpose of such a battle."

"And what is that?"

"To protect our reasons for fighting. Everyone fights for different reasons and that is why we chose to become Shinigami. If we fight solely to win, then we are not worthy of fighting and our opponent will defeat us. In Urahara Taichou's case, she let Yoshiro win to teach her a lesson." The other squad members were able to slowly understand what their Fukutaichou were saying and that made them rethink their way of fighting.

Only seen to Hisagi, when Miyako accepted Yoshiro's challenge, she didn't accept it to prove that she was capable of being a captain, she accepted it as her first lesson to the squad. She taught both Yoshiro and her squad mates what the true meaning of battle is and that even if they do not accept Miyako as their captain, she will fight for their survival so they can fight for the survival of others.

* * *

**[[ And so? What'd you think?  
**

**Ps. If there are any spelling/grammar mistakes, I'm sorry for that.**

**Well, thanks for reading Chapter 6 of So Close Yet So Far!**

**See you again soon! ]]**


	7. The Next Lady of The Kuchiki Clan

**[[ Back again with another chapter!**

**Enjoy and please let me know your thoughts! Thank you! ]]**

* * *

"Byakuya-Sama," Tanaka greeted, "The Elders would like to have a word with you." Byakuya, who was engaged in his paperwork, looked at Tanaka with a small surprised look.

Making his way to the Elders' Chambers, Five young, yet regal men greeted him as they say at a curved rectangular table facing the door. The eldest of the men, Geiki, called Byakuya forward and he knelt before the men.

"Byakuya-Sama, we have a matter of importance to discuss with you." Geiki spoke. His voice was gentle, yet firm.

"Is everything all right?" Byakuya questioned, as the Elders rarely summon him.

"Unfortunately, the Kuchiki Family ties are slowly declining, and in order to stabilize the family lines, we must unite with another family. I understand this is sudden but, it is time to look for the next Lady of the Kuchiki Clan."

Byakuya didn't answer, he slowly closed his eyes, as if in deep thought, and continued to listen to Geiki.

"Each of us has prepared a file for a woman whom we think would be worthy to achieve the Kuchiki name." Geiki gave the folder to Byakuya, who was still silent. "Preparations will be made for you to meet each woman and by the end of the month, we expect a decision from you."

"I understand, please leave the schedule with Tanaka." Byakuya gave a bow to the Elders and made his way back to his room.

He left the folder, which he had yet to open, on his table and tried to finish his remaining paperwork but he was unable to focus and realized that if he continues his paperwork with his current state of mind, he would get them done incorrectly. As he put his pen down, he looked at the folder once again and walked to a cabinet located in the corner of his room.

Inside the cabinet was a small shrine that was dedicated to Hisana. He looked at her picture with soft eyes and bowed slightly, "Hisana. Forgive me, it seems my duties have finally caught up to me." Byakuya then lit incense in honor of Hisana and decided to look at the contents of the folder.

The women were all of noble name and they possessed many talents but Byakuya needed time to process this and he wasn't ready to declare a wife yet.

Aware of this, Byakuya thought it would be best to get some fresh air and an extra pair of eyes to help him decide. He decided to pay Miyako a visit at her barracks, and since he had yet to congratulate her promotion, he wanted to see her.

"Ah, Kuchiki Taichou, are you here to see Urahara Taichou?" Hisagi asked as he spotted Byakuya at the front of the barracks.

"Yes, however, if she's busy, I will come back at a later time."

"Er, it's not that she's busy, we just, uh, can't find her..." Hisagi explained with a small embarrassed smile.

Byakuya raised his eyebrow at this news, "what do you mean you 'can't find her'?"

"Well, you see..." Hisagi explained what happened after Miyako introduced herself to the Squad; Yoshiro's protest, their battle, and the tension that was felt between the two. "After The Taichou left us in the field, she was nowhere to be found."

"That fool. To just leave when she has all this work to be done?"

"I wouldn't blame her, Kuchiki Taichou, we both know what that incident did to her. She's probably wandering around somewhere. I'll let her know that you came looking for her though."

"Continue your work Hisagi Shuuhei, I believe I am aware of where Miyako has run off to. I will see to it that she returns and finishes her work here immediately." Byakuya bid Hisagi goodbye and made his way toward the abandoned playground located near the open forest paths.

When Byakuya finally arrived at the old playground, he saw Miyako sleeping on one of the benches. _How_ _can she so easily sleep in a place like this?_ He remarked as he walked closer to the resting captain. As the sun's light grew stronger the closer he walked, the more the tricolored hair of the slumbering captain sparkled.

Examining Miyako, Byakuya saw that she was not having a simple dream. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her hands were clenched tightly into fists; a look of pain and fright took over her expression and she looked as if she was in extreme discomfort.

_Miyako, what nightmare are you reliving today?_ Byakuya asked as he looked at his dear friend struggling in her sleep.

* * *

"Stop! Fall back! You mustn't go near them!" A younger looking Miyako, wearing her standard Shihakusho, yelled out with a frightened look on her face as a huge explosion occurred in front of her. There were 4 other Shinigami with her, their names were Hitou, Kamisaka, Youri, and Gou, and these four were the 4th-7th chairs of the 10th Squad.

In the skies of Okiri City, the five Shinigami were fighting against a group of four hollows. The hollows were incredibly huge and undeniably powerful. These hollow go by the name of Juggler and Jugglers are able to infuse a part of their soul into a person's body by use of their sharp fang like teeth. In order to succeed in harming their targets, the Juggler must bite onto their target, which allows them to transfer over their soul and this attack results in the target dying due to an explosion from within their body.

As Youri and Gou fail to listen to Miyako and instead charge toward two Jugglers, they were each bitten and were given deep wounds that were reflected by their excruciating screams.

Seeing her subordinates get attacked, there was no way Miyako would be able to get close to the Jugglers and purify them without causing harm to her two squad members.

"Hitou! When I restrain the hollow on the left, purify it immediately! I will then take the one on the right out. Your swiftness is what will allow us to free the two of them. Understood?" Miyako ordered to the 4th seat.

Hitou nodded and prepared his Zanpakuto, waiting for the signal.

"You who is crowned with the name of Man, wearing a Mask of blood and flesh, flying on ten thousand fluttering wings, with Thunder's carriage and an empty Spinning Wheel, break the Light into six pieces, carve a twin Lotus on a wall of Pale Blue Flames, and await the Blazing fires to reach the Distant Heavens! Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!" Upon her incantation, six wide and thin beams of light pierced themselves in the Juggler's midsection and as the Juggler let go of Youri, Hitou quickly purified the hollow and caught the falling injured Youri.

Miyako then quickly turned her attention over to the Juggler holding Gou and decided to use a Hado spell on it, "Scattered beast bones! Spire, Crimson Crystal, Steel Wheels! The wind if it moves, the sky if it stops, the tone of the spear striking fills the lone castle! Hado #63: Raikouhou!" Miyako aimed her right index finger at the Juggler and yellow lightning gathered at her fingertips, once her incantation was finished, the lightening bolted off to it's target and pierced the Juggler resulting in it releasing Gou.

Miyako then quickly shunpo-ed to catch Gou and met Hitou and Youri on the roof of an abandoned building, however, it was already too late. Both Gou and Youri's skin was starting to boil and the smell of burnt flesh was spreading through the air. Miyako gave a look of guilt to her two comrades and they only looked at her while giving her small smiles. "Tha-" Before either of them were able to finish their sentences, both bodies were erupted into hundreds of pieces, and the stench of blood lingered. Blood splattered over the roof, over Miyako's hands, and even strands of Miyako's white hair turned a rusty red.

After seeing her comrades killed _right _in front of her, Miyako lost her will to fight. Her Zanjutsu skills have improved but she was still only a master at Kido. _How can Kido save anyone? It takes too much time. By the time it takes to say the incantation, it's already too late. And if you don't say the incantation, the Kido isn't as powerful,_ Miyako thought to herself as she looked at the remnants of her subordinates.

Grasping tightly onto her katana, Miyako stood from where she was and faced the two remaining Jugglers. Hitou and Kamisaka appeared by Miyako's side and gave her support.

"Miyako-San, we'll handle them, just do what you do best." Kamisaka spoke.

"I can't do that. I was placed in charge of this mission, it's my responsibility to make sure no one else gets hurt."

"Your attacks had no affect on them, they are familiar with explosives and the like. Let Kamisaka and I handle them."

Miyako clenched her teeth as she had no choice but to follow her comrade's suggestion, "Alright, I understand, I'll provide support. Be careful you two."

The three of them nodded to each other to confirm their plan and they decided to focus on one target at a time. Miyako cast Hado #4: Byakurai but such an attack was not enough to purify the hollow and so Hitou went after it with his Zanpakuto. Miyako was preparing to fire Hado #33: Sokatsui when suddenly, a Juggler appeared behind her.

Unable to react fast enough, Miyako had fired the Sokatsui missing her target and fearing that her life was going to end, she braced for impact but she felt nothing. As she turned around, she saw Kamisaka slowly falling from the sky. The Juggler then appeared once again in front of Miyako and she quickly fired Sokatsui in rapid succession until the hollow was purified.

Miyako shunpo-ed to catch Kamisaka and as she looked at Kamisaka; she noticed his skin was starting to bubble up and steam was forming. He told her to run or else she would get caught in the explosion. Miyako refused trying desperately to find a solution but then Hitou grabbed on to her and cast Bakudo #39: Enkosen to protect her from the explosion.

When Hitou removed his barrier, Miyako had lost all light in her eyes; she was losing focus on the job in front of her and she blames herself for the loss of her comrades' life.

"Miyako-San, we must hurry and purify the hollow! Their powers are dangerous, and we can't let them harm the people of the city! Miyako-San! Oi, do you hear me?! Miyako-San!" As Miyako was caught in shock, the remaining Juggler appeared from behind the two and latched onto Hitou, fear struck Miyako's face as she heard Hitou's screams.

"Hado #63: Raikouhou!" Miyako casted another Kido spell in her blurred mindset and was able to successfully purify the remaining hollow. Once the Juggler disappeared from sight, Miyako caught Hitou and brought him to the rooftop of the abandoned building.

"Miyako-San…" Hitou's skin was starting to bubble and as he looked into Miyako's eyes, he saw how terrified she was and how guilty she felt. "It isn't your fault, it's ours." He explained, "We should have listened to you. We should have fallen back but we were too stubborn to. Promise me you won't blame yourself for what happened today. You must know that this is absolutely not your fault. We relied on you too much and we shouldn't have done that. You tried your best to protect us Miyako-San, don't you ever forget that. Thank you for all the fun times we all had as a group, I'm glad that you were able to become a part of Squad 1O. It was really fun, wasn't it?"

As Hitou gave Miyako one last smile, Hitou's body burst and even though Miyako was in direct contact with the explosion, she suffered no wounds. With every ounce of strength Hitou had left, he casted the Bakudo spell Enkosen once again and shielded Miyako from the blast.

As the skies were clear and the clouds revealed the light of the moon, Miyako looked at the remains of her friends' bodies with guilt-ridden eyes. The stench of blood burned her nose, the sound of hissing echoed in her ears, and the looks on her comrades faces before their body erupted, were branded into Miyako's mind. Shortly after the smoke cleared the air, Captain Hitsugaya appeared before Miyako and he looked upon the scene in shock. Miyako was unable to look Hitsugaya in the eyes and felt like a failure.

"Miyako, we are returning", that was all Hitsugaya said as he appeared on the scene. Miyako was able to sense the disappointment and anger in Hitsugaya's voice and so she vowed to never let her captain down ever again.

. . .

Observing Miyako, Byakuya saw a tear run down her cheek. He gently wiped the tear of her face and Miyako's eyes slowly opened to his warm touch. Her shining purple eyes wavered as she was awakening from her dream and tears continued to slide down her cheeks. Noticing the presence in front of her, she looked up and saw Byakuya, who gave her a soft smile.

"Byakuya…" Miyako quickly sat up in an upright position and wiped away her tears. As she was trying to compose herself, Byakuya decided to take a seat next to her. Silence was shared between the two, as neither of them knew what to say.

_Why did it have to be that nightmare of all dreams? And why did Byakuya have to be the one to see me like this?_ Miyako thought to herself as she was looking away from Byakuya.

_She was never one to show anyone that side of her. She must have been dreaming about the incident. _Byakuya thought to himself as he looked at Miyako with a soft gaze.

"So, what're you doing here, Byakuya?" Miyako asked, even though her voice was quivering.

"I heard from Hisagi Shuuhei what happened yesterday in your Barracks. Is the reason why you have run off here have something to do with that Yoshiro woman?"

"Do you remember her? From our Academy days?"

"She was the one that defeated you in our Zanjutsu training. Her skills with the katana are quite impressive. She was also the woman that targeted you and made the others look down on you. I almost forgot about her."

"I never thought I'd see her again either but I think she was right… I'm not Captain material. I don't deserve to be Captain…"

"Are you saying this because of what happened yesterday or because of what happened five years ago?"

Silence once again took over Miyako and she focused her gaze on the ground.

"Five years have passed since that incident and I was able to realize instantly that you had changed into a different person. You learned something valuable from that mission and you are continuing to learn from that mission. Miyako, you have the power to be a Captain, you must stop underestimating yourself. Like what you have taught your subordinates, once you underestimate your opponent, your fate has been decided. In this case Miyako, you are your own opponent. If you continue to trouble yourself over such a trivial matter, your subordinates will suffer in your stead."

"My comrades died because I wasn't strong enough to protect them. I gave them orders to fall back and when they didn't, I wasn't able to step up. You never know how weak you really are until it's too late. These past five years, I have been training so hard to better my Zanjutsu skills and even though I've improved, my heart still hangs low for what I've done."

"Miyako…"

"That day, Hitsugaya Taichou was disappointed, it was obvious to everyone how angry and upset he was, and he had every right to be! So why, did he decide to let me be Captain when I couldn't even lead a simple mission five years ago?"

Byakuya put his hand on Miyako's, "Because he believes in you. As do I."

Miyako looked into Byakuya's eyes with a heavy heart, "I owe them my life and I will continue to make it up to them, no matter how long it takes."

"Then make it up to them, as a Captain."

Miyako closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the memories of the incident overloaded her mind as if it just happened yesterday, "I suppose there's no other option, is there?" Trying to maintain a smile, Miyako looked at Byakuya again and noticed a folder in his hands, "So, I'm sure you aren't here to simply give me another pep talk. Is something wrong?"

"In truth, I came looking for you today to ask for your advice on a subject." Byakuya explained as he gently passed over the folder to Miyako, who looked at it with a confused expression.

"Advice? When it comes to advice, it's usually me coming to you." Miyako took the folder and when she looked at its contents, she already had an idea of what this favor was.

"Byakuya, this is-"

"Miyako, the Elders have decided that it is time for me to marry again. They each provided a Noblewoman of their choice and I am to meet with them as soon as possible. I thought I would come and ask you whom you deem worthy of marrying into the Kuchiki Family. Would you mind looking over these documents and giving me your opinion on whom you think may be fitting?"

With such a sudden request, Miyako didn't know how to react. She looked down at the folder again and read through the five profile sheets of the Noblewoman. _These women, I don't even compare to them… _To Miyako, they were all worthy of potentially earning the Kuchiki title. They were all well educated, beautiful, talented, and they all made a name for themselves.

"With such a list of woman, I believe any of them are fitting." Miyako closed the folder and gave it back to Byakuya with a small smile, "Sorry I couldn't be of much help. It'll be tough but whomever you choose, I hope you'll try to be happy as well. I bet Hisana would be pleased that you're going to find happiness again. Congratulations. Please do let me know whom you choose, I would love to meet them."

"Of course." Byakuya stated. "I wish that my wife-to-be will also take a liking to you, just as Hisana did. You are an important part of my life and I would never marry someone that you didn't get along with. How about you join me as I met these woman?"

Miyako hesitated before she answered, "Byakuya, you know I can't do that. I made a promise that I would never interfere with your duties as the Head of the Kuchiki Clan, and this is one of those duties. I'm sure you'll find the right woman when you see her." Miyako explained as she gave a smile.

Byakuya looked through the contents again and as his gaze was focused on the paperwork, Miyako's smile slowly faded as she gave a soft gaze toward Byakuya, _It's happening again? Unbelievable… Hmph, I have such bad timing, huh?_

* * *

It has been three weeks since Miyako has been assigned as Captain of Squad Nine. After her battle with Yoshiro and her talk with Byakuya, Miyako has fully devoted herself to her work. She has spent her days organizing the Squad and taking care of the paperwork that has been left in Hisagi's hands. The hard wooden floors in the Captain's Quarters are almost visible now due to Miyako's quick pace. However, with such devotion to her work, no one has seen her lately and they are worried that she has been overworking herself.

With Hisagi and the other squad members worrying about Miyako's current condition, they thought it would be a good idea to ask their new captain to train them so she can get some air and they can get some long overdue practice in.

Everyone was in a sense of unease as they didn't know how to talk to Miyako for fear that they might upset her or say something wrong so everyone volunteered Hisagi to talk to her since he knew her the longest.

"Urahara Taichou? Can I come in?" Hisagi asked as he knocked on the doors to the Captain's Room.

Silence followed and Hisagi knocked again trying to get Miyako's attention but there was still no answer.

"Urahara Taichou, I'm coming in, okay? Excuse me." Hisagi slowly opened the doors and what greeted him were stacks and stacks of papers organized along the floors and on top of Miyako's desk. _Did she not leave her room at all?_

As Hisagi walked closer to Miyako's desk, behind the stacks of paper in the front of her desk, Miyako was seen sleeping on top of more stacks of paper.

Her eyes were dark and they were baggy, she looks like she hasn't slept in days. Her hands were full of ink, dents were formed on her fingers due to the pressure of her writing, and she even had plenty of paper cuts.

Looking at such a scene before him, how was Hisagi supposed to react? She's been locked up doing nothing but work and it looks like she finally gave in to sleep. The other squad members were counting on Hisagi to finally get some training in and they wanted to be taught by their new captain but how can he wake her and tell her that? He knows she'll accept and that will only cause more harm to her exhausted body.

Hisagi knew something happened between Byakuya and Miyako but he didn't know what. When Miyako returned to the Barracks after Byakuya went looking for her, her demeanor changed. When Hisagi questioned her about it, she wouldn't answer him and immediately went to her Captain's Quarters.

Hisagi continued to look at his sleeping captain and with a pitiful look, he decided to wake her up. As he shook Miyako awake, her shining purple eyes met his and she quickly jerked up out of embarrassment.

"Shuuhei? Is everything all right?" she asked as she tried to make it look like she was not exhausted at all.

"Miyako… Is everything all right with _you_? You haven't stepped out of your office in weeks."

"Everything's fine!" Miyako reassured with a cheerful voice, "I was just trying to organize everything and get this paperwork done, you really had a lot on your hands Shuuhei."

"Well, you've done an awesome job Taichou, but the other members and I were wondering if we can get some training in? I remember you talked about starting an exercise regimen? The guys kind of wanted to start training under you."

"Oh, of course! I'm sorry. I've completely lost track of time. We'll start immediately! Please bring everyone to the training hall, Shuuhei." Miyako asked as she gave him a gentle smile.

"Okay. We'll see you soon." Hisagi replied giving a worried smile to Miyako as he went to do as ordered.

Once everyone gathered at the training hall, Miyako instructed them to gather in pairs and battle against one another. She had them observe everyone's different fighting styles and gave tips on both offensive and defensive attacks.

The training was a success and everyone was happy to finally get some training done these past three weeks.

. . .

At Kuchiki Manor, Byakuya was preparing for his meeting with the Elders. He finished meeting and getting to know all the potential candidates and to his surprise, there was a woman that he genuinely liked and admired. After getting to know her, Byakuya was pleased to find someone that he felt attracted towards. With his mind already made up, he did not have to wait until the end of the month to inform the Elders of his decision and the next Lady of the Kuchiki Clan was finalized.

With the decision settled, Byakuya thought it would be a good time to tell Rukia of his upcoming marriage. Tanaka was sent to fetch Rukia who was in her room on break from her officer duties and when she reached Byakuya's room she was shocked to see such a beautiful woman sitting next to him.

The noblewoman Byakuya chose goes by the name of Rin. Rin has amber eyes, long deep purple hair with a fringe cut and an angle. She is wearing a gold clip that holds up a strand of her hair and a white kimono with sakura petals decorating the fabric. She sits with air of elegance and poise that Rukia was able to notice right away.

"Nii-Sama, you wanted to see me?" Rukia asked as she knelt in front of Byakuya and the mysterious woman.

"Rukia. I have some news to share with you today. This woman beside me is Fujiwara Rin and she is going to be my wife, as well as your new sister-in-law. I understand this may be a bit sudden to you but the Elders have decided it was time for me to remarry and I believe Rin here will be a pleasant addition to our manor. Treat her well Rukia."

Rin smiled and gave a small bow to Rukia, "It's a pleasure to meet you Rukia-San, Byakuya-Sama has told me a lot about you, I can't wait for us to become a family."

"Ah, yes. You too." Rukia returned her gesture and she was utterly shocked at the news. _Nii-Sama's getting married? But Miyako promised she would tell him when she got her promotion! This can't be happening!_

Rukia lifted her head up and locked eyes with Rin once again, "I've been waiting a while to meet the two most important woman in Byakuya-Sama's life, I'm glad to have met you first, Rukia-San."

"Eh? Two woman?"

"I believe you said her name was Miyako? Urahara Miyako. I can't wait to meet her as well, Byakuya-Sama."

* * *

**[[ Another slow-ish chapter, yes?**

**Again, necessary for future chatpers, haha.**

**I hope you enjoyed, thank you again for reading! ]]**


	8. Fujiwara Rin

While Byakuya explained the news to Rukia, she still had reservations about the whole thing but she was able to see a glimpse of happiness in Byakuya's face that she hasn't seen in a long time.

"Rukia, would you mind fetching Miyako for me? You're heading back to your barracks correct? I promised her I would invite her over when I've made my decision on our next Lady."

"Yes, I was about to leave. I'll tell Miyako to pay you a visit." Rukia stood up and bowed to Byakuya and Rin. She said her goodbyes and on her way back to Squad 12's barracks, she bumped into Renji and Hisagi.

"Yo, Rukia!" Renji greeted her. However, he noticed the perplexing expressions she currently possessed and asked, "Are you okay, Rukia? What happened?"

"Nii-Sama… He's getting married." Rukia explained while still trying to make sense of the situation in her head.

"Kuchiki Taichou is getting married?!" Hisagi and Renji exclaimed in unison.

_Is that why the Taichou's been so out of it lately? Could she have already known? Argh, Miyako, you idiot. _

"When did this happen?" Renji asked.

"I just found out. It seems it's been in the works for a while already."

"So Kuchiki, are you gonna tell Miyako, or should I?" Hisagi asked.

"Tell me what Shuuhei?" From behind the group appeared Miyako, her suddenness surprised the group of three. The three assistant lieutenants gave a concerned look at each other and Renji and Hisagi nudged Rukia to have her tell the news. Rukia gave a small sigh and explained what she just learned from Byakuya.

"Nii-Sama, he's engaged to be married…again." Miyako's gaze softened at Rukia's words as she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

_That was quick. I wonder whom he picked. It couldn't be her, could it? _Miyako thought as she gave a gentle smile to the group of three. "He told me about it a few weeks ago, so, who did he choose? Do you know her name?"

"Rin… Fujiwara Rin. But wait… you knew?"

_It _was_ her. _"Of course I knew, your brother and I are close, remember? So, do you approve of her Rukia? What is she like?"

"Well, she fits the title of nobility well and she seems nice but, she's not you." Rukia stated abruptly, catching Miyako off guard. "Miyako, when Nii-Sama took me in, you took care of me as well. After Nii-Sama told me about Hisana, he told me how Hisana asked you to take care of me and treat me as your sister. I've looked up to you so much and I've always wanted you by Nii-Sama's side… So, why haven't you told him yet? You made a promise…"

Silence was Miyako's answer. Rukia, Renji, and Hisagi were all curious to know Miyako's reasoning as to why she never told Byakuya about her feelings.

"I made _two_ promises Rukia. One, I would never interfere with Byakuya's duties as the Head of the Kuchiki Clan. I am not of noble blood; I'm also from the Rukongai, just like you and Hisana. The Elders would not agree to this again, I assure you. I wasn't able to bring myself to tell him because of this."

"And your second promise?" Hisagi asked.

"Since our status' are a mile apart, I made a promise to myself that if I ever become a Captain, I would tell him of my feelings, in hope that the gap between our titles would be smaller but… the Elders beat me to him."

Hisagi narrowed his eyes at Miyako's words, _you never had any intention of telling him, did you, Miyako?_

"Guys, as long as Byakuya is happy, I'm happy. His happiness, that's all I wish for, that's all I've always wished for. So please understand that, I wouldn't dare put our friendship at risk for my selfish feelings."

"He wants to introduce the two of you." Rukia stated as if just speaking those words were taboo.

"I know, we've talked about this a few weeks ago. I'll make my way there then." Miyako bid goodbye to everyone and made her way to Kuchiki Manor, Rukia, Renji, and Hisagi all shared looks of concern as Miyako walked away.

. . .

Finally reaching the manor, Miyako observed the beautiful estate and questioned her actions. _Why am I doing this? I should be happy for him but… it hurts. It was fine because it was Hisana but now he wants me to befriend a noblewoman? He's crazy. Does he really not know? The years we've spent together, he doesn't know how strong my love is for him? I guess it doesn't matter anymore; I've lost him for good this time._

"Miyako-Dono?" Tanaka's voice brought Miyako back to reality, "Are you here to see Byakuya-Sama?"

"Yes, he invited me over. I heard from Rukia that his decision has been finalized."

"Ah, that's correct. I'll leave you to it then." Tanaka and Miyako parted ways and when she finally reached Byakuya's room, a female voice responded in reply to her knock. When Miyako entered the room, the presence of the beautiful woman mesmerized her.

"Is there something I can help you with… Taichou?" Rin asked as she noticed the haori Miyako was wearing, "Are you here looking for Byakuya-Sama?"

"Yes, Rukia told me he called for me. You… must be Byakuya's fiancé, pleasure to meet you. My name is-"

"I know who you are." Rin stated coldly, cutting Miyako off, "I've heard a lot about you, Urahara Miyako."

"You have?"

"Yes. Your brother was exiled many decades ago for some horrible experimentation he did," Miyako's eyes widened at her words, "you've been a seated officer in the Gotei 13 for who knows how long, staying in your third seat position, and you led a mission about five years ago that brought shame to your old squad, is this correct?"

"H-how do you know such things? Surely Byakuya-"

"And another thing," Rin spoke harshly as she walked towards Miyako and looked her straight in the eyes, "I must ask you to refrain from referring to Byakuya-Sama so formally. You wouldn't like it if another woman talked like this to your fiancé, would you?"

"No, you're correct. I apologize." Miyako bowed slightly and Rin gave a small smirk.

"You know, from what I've heard about you, I expected something more…more." Miyako raised her head and looked at Rin's smile in shock.

"You-"

"Ah ah ah, I'm still talking." Rin said as she sat on the floor and smiled, "You… have feelings for Byakuya-Sama correct?"

Miyako's eyes widened as she looked into Rin's amber eyes. Before she could answer, the sliding of the doors was heard and Byakuya finally made his appearance.

"Rin-" Byakuya paused, "What's happened? Why are you crying?" Byakuya rushed over to Rin who had tears streaming down her face. Miyako was dumbfounded; she was perfectly fine just a second ago. "Miyako, what happened?" Byakuya questioned as he noticed Miyako's presence.

"T-this is the Miyako you spoke about?" Rin spoke gently with a quivering voice, "You told me she was one of the nicest people you've ever met… So why did she come here and threaten me?"

"Eh?!" Miyako spoke out in disbelief.

"Miyako, is this true?"

Miyako looked Byakuya in his eyes and she saw seeds of doubt, as she tried to explain herself, Rin spoke up again, "She told me to leave, to never come back, and to stay away from Byakuya-Sama. She said she would kill me if I didn't leave your side. Byakuya-Sama, did you know that she has feelings for you?"

Byakuya turned his gaze over to Miyako with widened eyes. Miyako was in a panic and as she briefly glimpsed back at Rin, she saw a malicious smile on her face.

"She said that if she couldn't have Byakuya-Sama as her husband, then no one could. I was so scared… I'm so glad you came." Rin nudged deeper into Byakuya's arms as tears continue to stream down her face.

"Byakuya, let me explain."

"I think you should leave, Miyako." Byakuya's words were cold and they marked the end of the conversation.

"I see." She spoke as tears were slowly starting to form in her eyes, "Then, I'll do just that. Bye." Swiftly and quietly, she made her way out of the room and left the manor in a confused and frustrated mindset. "That Rin, how dare she exploit my feelings like that!"

* * *

Later that night, Miyako took a break from her paperwork and headed to Midnight Bar. The bar was a decent sized building with tables and chairs everywhere for groups of friends or families to enjoy a nice drink. As Miyako entered the bar, an old friend greeted her.

"Yo, Miyako! It's been ages since I've seen you here!" A muscular voice greeted.

"Ah, Impey, it's been a while, how are you?" Miyako asked as she took a seat at the bar. Impey is a friend Miyako made after Hisana's death. When Hisana died, Miyako turned to drinking since she had no other outlet to relieve her stress and pent up feelings.

"I've been good. So, is it the usual today?"

"No, give me something stronger. I don't want to feel numb, I don't want to feel _anything_."

Impey prepared the drink for Miyako and placed it gently in front of her, "Want to talk about it?"

Downing the drink in one gulp, Miyako replied, "Never."

The night went on and Miyako continued to gulp down drink after drink until she was no longer able to keep her body stable. She was practically laying on the table now and continued to ask for drinks.

"Miyako, at most, I can only give you two more drinks. You've drunk more than enough today, what is going on with you?"

"Aish, just gimmeeee da dreenks." She demanded with her slurred speech as she furiously tapped the table with her finger. Miyako's pale skin was starting to turn a baby pink and her vision was unstable. She's already had about seven glasses of her liquor and still wants to drink more.

_What did Kuchiki Byakuya do to you to make you like this? You've never gotten this drunk before._ Impey thought to himself as he set down Miyako's last two drinks.

The only thing stable about Miyako was her grip on those drinks as she gulped them down. Finishing the last drops from the glass, Miyako continued to lay on the counter with an expression of emptiness.

"Miyako. I think it's time for you to go now. You're a captain right? It wouldn't be good for your reputation if you were found here. You need to head back to your Squad, shall I escort you there?"

"N-n-no." She slurred as she tried to balance her shaking body on the ground. "I-I'll beee fi...ne." Miyako, with an unstable walk, made her way to the exit and was greeted by Rin who was outside admiring the flowers growing in front of the bar.

"Ah, it's you again, Urahara Miyako. You're a drinker too? Ha! My expectations of you keep failing, such a shame and I pegged you for a lady with class. Shall I help you to your barracks?" Rin tried assisting Miyako and held on to her arm to help her become more stable in her walking.

"Gerrof o' me," Miyako said as she quickly removed her arm from Rin's possession, "I-I'm ash sober as 'm get! And I dooon't need yerr help, ya heeear me?"

"I wonder how Byakuya-Sama would react seeing you like this. Does he know? I'm sure he doesn't, haha. How pathetic you are!"

"Rin!" Byakuya's voice called out as he was heading toward her direction. Then, as if right on cue, a drunk man walked out of the bar with a glass of wine in his hand. Rin quickly grabbed the glass from him and stood directly in front of Miyako while smiling at her.

With glass in hand, she poured the red wine onto her white kimono, threw the glass on the floor beside her, and slapped her own cheek as hard as she could while she sat on the floor as if she was in pain. The loud crash alarmed Byakuya and he immediately made his way over to Rin's side. When he saw the wine on her kimono and the bright red slap mark on her cheek, he looked toward Miyako with eyes full of disappointment.

"Rin, go inside and ask for an ice pack, I have something I need to discuss with Urahara Miyako alone."

"Hai, Byakuya-Sama." Rin made her way inside the bar and smirked at Miyako as she left.

"Miyako, what on earth do you think you're doing? Making threats, resorting to violence, what is going on?" Byakuya asked as Rin was out of sight.

"Byaku… whatever just h-happened just now, I-I had nuffin- nothing to do with it."

"Are you… drunk?" The smell of alcohol lingered on Miyako's breath and the stench was so strong, Byakuya could smell it from a few feet away.

"N-no. O' course not."

"I suppose there was a whole another side to you that not even I knew about. Is what Rin said true, you have feelings for me?"

Miyako stayed silent.

"This violence, these threats, they're out of jealousy? Out of spite?" Byakuya questioned, "There is no reason for you to harm Rin the way you did, Miyako. TO create such disturbances, it's unlike you. I suggest you return to your barracks."

"Ha?!" Miyako exclaimed in anger, "Byaku, you can't seriously-"

"Enough!" Byakuya's voice grew harsh and Miyako has never heard him use such a tone before. She was stunned and speechless, as she didn't want to hurt her friend. "Return to your barracks, you are disturbing the peace of the area. Also, I had really hoped you would have gotten along with my fiancé, just like you were with Hisana. As evident today, your presence is dangerous around Rin. I advise you to never approach or I again, am I clear?"

Miyako stood there for a moment and looked at Byakuya straight in the eyes, _for this one woman, you have abandoned our bond? You're going to throw away everything we have, for her? She isn't who she seems and yet, the one you choose is her? Che. This pisses me off._ Anger was boiling up inside Miyako and she once again tried to tell Byakuya her story.

"Byaku-" Miyako was interrupted by the ringing of the bells that were attached to the doors of Midnight Bar and out emerged Rin who held an ice pack to her cheek.

Their two eyes met and Miyako shot a glare at Rin before charging to attack her, however, her assistant lieutenant stopped Miyako in her tracks.

"Shuuhei?" Miyako questioned as Hisagi tightly grasped onto both of his captain's arms.

"Taichou, you can't go further." Hisagi whispered, as he looked back toward Rin, who appeared frightened and hid behind Byakuya who protected her defensively.

"Why are you here?" Miyako asked in a tone of defeat.

"I came to get a drink, we should have gone together." Hisagi smiled at his captain as he released his grip on her arms.

Hisagi came with Renji, Rukia, and Matsumoto to get a drink during their break and came upon the scene when Byakuya raised his voice at Miyako. The four of them stood on the sidelines as they didn't want to interrupt the conversation but they had a feeling that something was off in the atmosphere between the two old friends and stayed to watch. They made the right decision for Miyako was about to lunge at Rin and if they weren't there, who knows what would have happened.

"Hisagi Shuuhei, I suggest you take your captain home. She has had too much to drink tonight."

"I understand." Hisagi said as he bowed to Byakuya and Rin, "I apologize on behalf of Urahara Taichou for everything she has done and I wish you both a good night."

Hisagi then looked at his group of friends and told them, "Sorry guys, I'll be a little late. I'll get the Taichou to the Squad and be back soon." As he said his farewells, Hisagi carried Miyako's in his arms bridal style and Miyako rested her head on his chest.

"Looks like the secret's out of the bag, huh? Now at least 5 people know of your drinking habit."

"Be quiet." Miyako said as she gave a sigh, "It's not like I planned on running into them. Also, sorry for making you apologize like that back there."

"It's fine. Want to tell me what happened?"

"No. Not today."

As the two of them reached Squad Nine's Barracks, Hisagi continued to carry Miyako until they arrived at her Captain's Quarters. He placed Miyako gently on the couch and prepared a cup of tea for her.

"If you want me to stay with you, I can." Hisagi offered.

"Don't. Go have fun with your friends; my mind has cleared a bit from earlier. I'll be fine. Thank you Shuuhei."

"Goodnight, Miyako."

"Goodnight." She responded with a smile.

Hisagi left the room and Miyako sat in her Captain's Quarters with an expressionless face. She reached for her tea and took a sip but she wasn't in the mood for anything anymore. She got up from the couch and slowly made her way to her desk.

On Miyako's desk, there is a picture of her and Byakuya as children with their arms around each other and smiling as the celebrated their graduation from the Academy.

Tears were blurring her vision and she picked up the photo as if it was just a faint memory and threw it against the wall. The sound of glass shattering was heard and the photo, along with the frame and its pieces, found its way along the floor.

In a fit of rage and sadness, Miyako knocked over all the piles of paperwork she had organized on her desk and they floated around the room as they, too, found their way along the floor.

After the floor was covered in paper work once again, Miyako simply fell to the ground and cried. Whether it was the alcohol or the sudden changes that were occurring around her, Miyako has had enough and couldn't hold anything in any longer. It feels as though her heart has exploded and the tears wouldn't stop flowing that night.

* * *

**[[ That Rin... what a two-faced character.  
**

**She'll be staying with us for a while *hint hint***

**Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!**

**And thank you for sticking around this chapter! ]]**


	9. The First Mission

"Where's the Taichou?" The following morning, Yoshiro appeared to be in a rush to find Miyako.

"She's in her barracks but-" Before one of the squad members were able to finish explaining themselves, Yoshiro immediately barged into Miyako's barracks and the sight that greeted her was appalling: the shattered glass, the papers in a mess on the floor, books thrown across the room, and her captain sitting on the floor, leaning her head against her desk, asleep.

"I was trying to tell you not to disturb her, something happened last night." Her fellow squad member, Zuo, explained in a soft whisper.

Looking at the scene before her, Yoshiro got annoyed and approached Miyako with an irritated look. Yoshiro grabbed a book from the floor and slammed it to the ground, which caused Miyako to wake up to the sudden loud noise.

"Oi, if this is what a captain is like, we don't want you. What the hell is this? You barely train with us, you have gotten no work done in the past few days, and now you're moping on the floor, get over yourself!" Yoshiro's glare was sharp and she knew that she was speaking for everyone when she explained how disappointing of a captain Miyako was being.

Miyako didn't immediately reply to Yoshiro as she got up and faced her with a conflicting expression. "Yoshiro, what… do you want?"

"I heard a rumor our precious Taichou went to a bar last night, got flat out drunk, started a fight with a noblewoman, of all woman, and almost killed her! Want to know the worst part? Hisagi Fukutaichou had to go out of his way to make sure you didn't make a fool out of yourself, even though you already did, and apologize for _you_! He even had to carry you back to your chambers! How dare you make Hisagi Fukutaichou do something so low just to save your face."

Miyako didn't answer. Yoshiro was right, last night, Miyako made a huge mistake and the person that paid for it was Hisagi. She already knew she messed up when she was thinking to herself last night and she already made the decision to potentially step down as captain. She's embarrassing her squad and the stress is building up too much. What's the next best step? What should she do about the position she's in? She's never been leader material and she hates letting people down but to her, it's just too hard to balance everything all at once.

"Then... should I step down?" Miyako asked in a tone of defeat, as she looked Yoshiro straight in her eyes. Her wavering purple eyes sparkled as they reflected the light of the sun.

The suddenness of it all caught Yoshiro and the other squad members off guard and they had no idea how to respond. As a heavy silence was shared throughout the room, a hell butterfly was seen flying towards Miyako.

The butterfly landed on Miyako's finger and informed her that a captain's meeting is being called and she should report to the Captain Assembly Hall immediately.

"I suppose we'll finish this discussion later Yoshiro. I have a captain's meeting to attend to."

* * *

As the captains were slowly starting to gather for the meetings, Miyako was the last to appear since she was actually suffering from a hangover due to her aggressive drinking last night.

She greeted the other captains with a bow and as she looked in Byakuya's direction, a tense atmosphere was emerging and she immediately stood in her assigned position.

With the entrance of Yamamoto, the meeting has officially come to a start. "We have a very important matter to discuss today but first, Kuchiki Taichou has something he'd like to announce to the all of you."

Everyone turned his or her attention over to Byakuya, well everyone except Miyako who already had an idea of what his announcement is.

"As of not too long ago, it has been finalized that I am to wed Miss Fujiwara Rin of the Fujiwara Clan and I formally invite all of you to the wedding. The date has yet to be decided but invitations will be sent to each and every one of you."

"So, you're finally getting married, huh? Congratulations Kuchiki." Kyoraku Taichou said.

Hearing the news, Hitsugaya Taichou immediately turned his attention over to Miyako and noticed how her gaze was only focused on the ground. Slowly, Hitsugaya placed his hand gently on Miyako's back as a way to comfort her.

Reacting to the warmth, Miyako turned to face Hitsugaya and was unable to say anything but Hitsugaya already knew what was in her mind. The two continued to share looks for a brief moment until the chattering subsided.

"It sure is an exciting event, will we be able to meet Fujiwara-San?" Ukitake Taichou asked in his usual calm and pleasant tone.

"I promise to formally introduce my fiancé to the Gotei 13 in due time but for now I feel it is best for us to continue on with this captain's meeting instead of my family affairs, if you don't mind Captain-Commander."

"Of course. Today's meeting is about the unusual disappearances of the group of Shinigami that we have sent to Karakura Town. There has been a sudden increase of hollow and Shinigami were sent to aid in the extermination. I fear that the disappearances may have something to do with the overwhelming increase of hollow and so I need a captain to go and lead a search party for the missing Shinigami. Looks like it's time for you to show us what you're capable of Urahara Taichou."

"Eh? Me?" Due to her pounding headache, Miyako was caught off guard and was surprised by her newly appointed mission.

"That's correct. You are our newly appointed captain and it's best to give you a taste of what your captain's duties are. You and your assistant lieutenant will be sent to Karakura Town and search for the missing Shinigami, understood?"

"I understand, I'll do my best to succeed. I won't fail you Captain-Commander. However, if it's possible, may I also request that Kuchiki Rukia Fukutaichou join this mission as well? I may be friends with Ichigo but Karakura Town is still a puzzling place for me, I would love to have her expertise."

"Is that all right with you Ukitake Taichou?" The Captain-Commander asked.

"Of course. Rukia has been working hard lately, she deserves some fresh air and it'll be nice for her to be able to see a friend of hers. I leave her in your capable hands, Urahara Taichou." Ukitake gave a gentle smile toward Miyako and she thanked him in return.

After the meeting was over, Miyako was ordered to round up Hisagi and Rukia and to leave for Karakura Town immediately but before she left, she wanted to try and clear things up with Byakuya again. So when Byakuya was making his way towards the exit, Miyako hurriedly followed after him, made sure no one was around, and grabbed onto his wrist to get his attention.

"Byakuya… can we please talk?"

"There is nothing to say. I have already spoken my mind yesterday and I have already informed you to no longer associate with me." Byakuya stated in a cold manner as he released his wrist from Miyako's grip.

"I… I understand and so I want to apologize. I'm sorry for what happened last night but you have to understand that you weren't there. You don't know what happened. It's my word against hers, are you really going to believe her after everything we've been through? I know you're engaged and everything but is that really fair? You know the type of person I am; I just hope you'll be able to see the clearer picture." Silence followed and Miyako gave a small sigh. "Byakuya, I formally congratulate you on your engagement. I'm happy for you. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters, I'll support you in every decision that you decide to make so do forgive me. I'm really, honestly happy for you." Miyako gave Byakuya a painful smile and Byakuya responded with a face of hidden sadness.

"My vow in front of my parents grave was to never break the rules again, after having already broke them twice, I wanted to keep my word. You were a large part of my life and I'm thankful for everything that you have given me but that time is now over. I'm sure you understand what this marriage means and the restrictions placed between us are for the sake of this marriage. I apologize."

"So… it's over? Our friendship? Despite everything you told me, this is the only choice we have left?"

Byakuya walked closer to Miyako and put his hand on her shoulder saying, "I entrust Rukia to you. Be safe… Urahara Taichou." A sharp pain stabbed Miyako's chest as he spoke his final parting to Miyako, Byakuya made his way towards the exit with a conflicted expression on his face. The pain of having to separate from a longtime friend was unbearable but Byakuya has to do what is necessary for the sake of the Kuchiki Clan.

Making his way out of the hall, Miyako simply continued to look at the fading image of Byakuya that was growing farther and farther from her. Miyako's limit was finally reached and she knew that she has to give up once again on her chase with Byakuya. However this time, she can't even remain his friend, only a colleague. _Ura...hara… Taichou, huh?_

. . .

With the new mission handed out, Miyako, Hisagi, and Rukia made their way to the Senkaimon that was opened in the streets of Seireitei.

As they successfully made their way through the Senkaimon, they appeared before Karakura High School and were greeted by the screeching sounds of hollow and sounds of battle. Ichigo was spotted nearby purifying a group of hollow that was seen near the school.

"Rukia, Hisagi, Miyako! Whoa, Miyako, that's a captain's haori isn't it? You're a captain now? That's awesome! What're you guys doing here?" Ichigo greeted his comrades as he was trying to dodge and attack another group of hollow.

"Ah, we're here on a mission but it seems like you might need some help with these hollow. Shuuhei, Rukia, shall we help clean up a bit?" Rukia, Shuuhei, and Miyako quickly exchanged glances and lunged toward their own hollows. Thanks to the three of them, the hollows were purified quickly and quietly.

Once the skies returned to a calm state, Ichigo and the others regrouped in front of school grounds. "Thanks for the help guys." Ichigo said as he sheathed his katana. "So, what're you guys here for?"

"A group of Shinigami were sent here not too long ago to investigate the sudden increase of hollow but they suddenly disappeared. We're here to conduct a search and rescue; do you have clues as to their whereabouts? Or have you noticed anything strange lately?" Miyako questioned.

Ichigo took a moment to think the question over to see if he had anything valuable to share but he had no ideas. According to Ichigo, everything was normal, even the appearance of hollow since Karakura Town is known for it's high spiritual content.

"Thanks anyway Ichigo. You should head home, you have class tomorrow." Rukia said.

"You got it. Good luck guys and if you need any help, let me know." Ichigo then shunpo-ed out of sight and the mission team started their search.

As both groups separated for the night, Hisagi, Rukia, and Miyako split up into three different directions. Hisagi headed towards Urahara's Shop, Rukia headed toward Karakura Community Park, and Miyako headed toward the direction of Karakura Hospital. If anyone receives any leads on the Shinigamis whereabouts, they can contact each other via cell.

At Karakura Hospital, Miyako scoped out the perimeter but was unable to sense any residual traces of Reishi.

At Urahara's Shop, Hisagi scoped out the area but was also unable to sense any residual traces of Reishi.

At Karakura Community Park, Rukia was unable to feel any Reishi but as she went further into the forest surrounding the park, she saw an unimaginable sight. She immediately called for Hisagi and Miyako to gather in the forest at the park. As Miyako and Hisagi arrived, the sight of what greeted them shocked them greatly.

Shattered pieces of Zanpakuto were seen in the grass as well as multiple blood splatters. There were no bodies present however and when Miyako went over to examine the shattered pieces, she felt no traces of spiritual energy coming from the Zanpakuto.

"Completely destroyed… these belong to the Shinigami that were sent here but where are the bodies?" Rukia looked at the blood with a concerned look.

"And most importantly, who would do such a thing?" Questioning the sight before her, Miyako thought it was best to consult an expert: her own Zanpakuto, Mugen no Ame.

Concentrating spiritual energy into her katana, Miyako was able to materialize her Zanpakuto.

Mugen no Ame's appearance was that of a man's; he possesses long silky crystal blue hair that sparkles like the ocean, shining green-blue eyes, and porcelain skin. Mugen no Ame's presence felt like one of nobility since he wore a blue vest with gold accents and long white sleeves with a blue trim near the end of the sleeves, a white kimono bottom with a long blue and gold decorated sash draping over the white fabric vertically, matching blue slippers, and fingerless white gloves. On Mugen no Ame's hair, he wears a silver circlet with pearls and crystal draping gently over his hair.

Hisagi and Rukia, meeting Mugen no Ame in person for the first time looked at him in awe. He was a beautiful man and he possessed a gentle spirit. He gave them both a slight bow and a gentle smile.

He turned his attention to Miyako, "My lady, you have called for me?" Mugen no Ame's voice was deep yet gentle and his words flowed like the waves.

"Ne Mugen, we found these shattered pieces of Zanpakuto here. I can't feel any spiritual energy but I wanted to know if you can feel something."

Mugen no Ame picked up the pieces of Zanpakuto and observed them deeply. After a while he explained, "the souls of these Zanpakuto are lost. They are no longer connected with their owner yet I can still feel a faint energy that lingers in the air. My lady-" Before Mugen no Ame was able to finish his thought, the four of them felt the presence of a strong murderous aura.

As they scanned their surroundings, the aura had already vanished.

"My lady, something is wrong. Whoever is here, they may hold the answers to the souls that linger."

While the group of four continues to pack up the Zanpakuto pieces, two mysterious people were hidden in the shadows of the trees observing them.

"Wow, they felt that quick release of energy, they really are something huh?" A young boy's voice asked.

"Of course but it seemed like your plan worked after all, it lured a captain here, our target nonetheless. Maybe you'll get that promotion after all, if Ojou-Sama approves, that is." The other shadow's voice was revealed to be of a young woman's.

"She'll approve if we succeed in our mission but how exactly are we supposed to deal with this? There are three of them, the others were weaker, and what if we fail? They were able to sense our presence, even if it was for a brief second, how are we going to attack her so easily if her guard is completely up?"

"Easy. We target the weakest link." The woman's eyes shifted to Rukia and her blue eyes narrowed at the sight of the assistant lieutenant. "With Ojou-Sama's intel, we attack _her_ to get the captain. A captain will risk their life in order to protect their subordinates, especially our target. Get ready to attack, Red."

"You got it, Blue." The boy, who goes by the name of Red, pulled out a gun that was powered by Reishi. The boy aimed at Rukia and prepared to shoot his gun. "Ketsueki dorobō" (Blood Thief; GT) A large flash of light was fired and at the end of the stream of light, a huge orb packed with Reishi and power was aimed for Rukia. The large amount of Reishi caught everyone by surprise and his or her reaction time was delayed.

The flash of light quickly made its way towards Rukia and Rukia was frozen in fear. She was unable to move and as direct contact was made, fear struck Hisagi's face. A huge explosion occurred and smoke covered the whole area. As the smoke was slowly clearing away and the bright light was starting to dim, it was revealed that the person to take the direct hit of the attack was Miyako.

"Miyako!" Mugen no Ame yelled out as he saw his wielder suffering from a large gaping wound on her chest. However, before he was able to run to her side, his state of being became unstable and his spiritual energy dispersed into particles returning him to his Zanpakuto state. "What… what on earth is going on? No… Miyako!" Without even being of help, Mugen no Ame's human appearance disappeared.

"Taichou!" Hisagi shouted as he quickly rushed over to tend to his Captain's injury.

"Nan…de? Why did you do such a thing Miyako Taichou?!" Rukia questioned in a tone of guilt and concern. Miyako, losing her balance as well as her consciousness was unable to respond and collapsed to the floor. "Oi, Miyako Taichou!"

With every bit of strength she had left, Miyako looked into Rukia's eyes and responded with, "You're my subordinate, I couldn't lose the life of another and… my last promise to Byakuya was to protect you… I had to for his sake…" Miyako blacked out and Hisagi and Rukia did everything in their power to try and heal her wounds but they just weren't powerful enough.

Then, suddenly, a dark silhouette appeared in front of them. Wooden sandals, a dark olive green kimono and a green and white striped bucket hat caught their line of sight. Urahara Kisuke has arrived and he saw the helpless looks on the faces of Hisagi and Rukia. He quickly made his way to Miyako, lifted her in his arms, and shunpo-ed out of the area.

"Will she be alright?" Rukia asked Hisagi as the two of them remain in the park.

"Urahara Kisuke would do anything to protect his only family. We should head to Urahara's Shop, he probably wants an explanation." The two exchanged glances and shunpo-ed to Urahara's shop.

Back in the trees, the two that go by Blue and Red were observing the scene as a quick flash of light emanated from Red's red bangle, "Mission complete, Blue."

"Perfect. We must report back to the Master. Urahara Miyako was supposed to be our target later in the plan but I'm sure they would be happy to hear we managed to succeed and it seems as if she's going to survive as well. Remember, you must give your bangle to Ojou-Sama, she specifically requested for Miyako's Zanpakuto to be hers."

"Understood." With those words, the two mysterious shadows disappeared from sight without a trace of even being there.

. . .

At Urahara's Shop, Tessai was currently tending to Miyako and Urahara started questioning Hisagi and Rukia right away.

"We were ambushed… All four of noticed something was off but it seems we let our guard down." Rukia explained.

"Four of you?" Urahara asked confused as he only counted three in the group.

"The Taichou materialized her Zanpakuto, Mugen no Ame. He was assisting us in the mission, he also sensed the presence of danger but he disappeared when Miyako took the blow to her chest." Hisagi explained.

"He probably returned to his Zanpakuto state to stabilize Miyako's condition. It takes a large amount of spiritual energy to materialize her Zanpakuto. But it seems that whoever attacked you guys sure had a lot of nerve attacking a Captain of the Gotei 13." _I wonder what their goal was… _Urahara thought to himself.

"We should probably report this to the Captain-Commander, Soul Society may be facing a new threat." Rukia explained.

"I agree, but with the condition she's in, Miyako would never survive the trip through the Senkaimon. She's in critical condition and I'm surprised she's actually holding on. She's never faced such a serious injury before. I intend to keep her here until she's able to get back on her feet, no matter how long it'll be. You two can report to the Captain-Commander yourselves, it doesn't seem necessary to have Miyako there."

Even though Urahara meant well, his words were like daggers to Hisagi and Rukia, more specifically Rukia. Guilt has taken over and Rukia is afraid of any negative side effects. To Rukia, if Miyako dies, it'll be all her fault.

"We understand," Hisagi said, "Kuchiki, I'll make a call to Soul Society and let them know of the situation. We'll head back tomorrow morning with the samples we collected from the park."

"You could sleep in our guest room." Urahara suggested.

"I'll contact Ichigo. He must've felt the drop in Miyako Taichou's Reiatsu, I should let him know what happened."

"I understand, then when you two are finished with your calls, you may make way to the guest rooms that I have. I'll be taking my leave."

"Thanks Urahara." Hisagi said. He looked as if he had more to add but decided against speaking aloud his thoughts.

Kisuke gave a slight smile to the two assistant lieutenants and proceeded to the room that Miyako was in. Tessai was using healing kido on Miyako and slowly, Miyako's wound was starting to heal. She lost a large amount of blood, her breathing was unstable, and they don't know if she will be able to withstand the pain when she regains consciousness.

On the floor, next to Miyako, there lay a bucket filled with water and small towels next to it. Kisuke took a seat next to Miyako, dipped a towel inside the bucket of water and started to clean off the blood splatters that were on her face and hair.

_Little one, it's been a while hasn't it? I'm really proud of you becoming a Captain and I know I told you to visit me when possible but did you really have to do it under these circumstances? I could tell by the look on those guys' faces, they feel guilty for what happened. However, you did your job. Your first task as a Captain, you already completed it. You protected your subordinates and I couldn't be more proud. Miyako, whoever did this to you… I will find them. No one dares lay a hand on my little sister and gets away with it._

* * *

**[[ Another chapter, that I hope you enjoyed.  
**

**A review is worth more than you know :D**

**Thanks for sticking around, until next time! ]]**


	10. What Have I Done?

"Captain-Commander, I have urgent news!" The assistant lieutenant of the first division, Sasakibe Choujirou, suddenly appeared into the Captain-Commander's office with a tone of urgency as he kneeled before Yamamoto.

"What is it, Choujirou?" Yamamoto questioned as he stopped working on his paperwork.

A bit of hesitation occurred before he was able to speak, "Urahara Miyako of the Ninth Squad was assaulted in Karakura Town while undergoing her current mission. From what was reported the assailant is unknown, their attack power is unknown and their motive…" another moment of hesitation, "is unknown." Choujirou's tone turned to one of worry and concern.

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes as he looked at his assistant lieutenant, "what exactly _is_ known?"

"Urahara Miyako is in critical condition and her Reiatsu suffered a significant drop. According to assistant lieutenant Hisagi Shuuhei, her condition is too unstable to even go through the Senkaimon. Her elder brother, Urahara Kisuke, has requested to keep her in Karakura Town until she is stable."

"I understand. Tell assistant lieutenants Hisagi Shuuhei and Kuchiki Rukia to return at once. I am to hear of every detail, Urahara Miyako will return to Seireitei when her wounds are healed."

"Understood!" With that, Choujirou used his shunpo to quickly relay the message to Hisagi.

As Yamamoto was left alone in his office he walked over to his view of Seireitei and looked over the city with concerned narrow eyes. _Could a new enemy be arising soon?_

. . .

As Hisagi received orders to return to Soul Society, he told Rukia that they are to return immediately and to leave Miyako in Urahara's care.

"It's only been a few hours and we already have to leave?" Rukia asked, as she was growing worried about Miyako.

"She'll be fine. Miyako's strong, she'll make it back in no time." Hisagi reassured her.

"I'll make sure she returns as quickly as possible. You two go back and report what you can." Urahara stated.

Hisagi and Rukia thanked Urahara for his hospitality and opened up a Senkaimon outside the shop.

Upon returning to Soul Society, Hisagi and Rukia made their way to Captain-Commander Yamamoto's office and kneeled before him.

"If you two would proceed to tell me what happened, do not leave anything out." Yamamoto commanded.

Rukia and Hisagi explained what happened when they arrived in Karakura Town: bumping in to Ichigo, splitting up in different directions, the Zanpakuto shards in the forest near the park, Mugen no Ame and his explanation of the lost Zanpakuto spirits, the sudden appearance and disappearance of a murderous aura, and finally, the attack that critically injured Miyako.

Taking in the information, slowly, many questions were forming in the Captain-Commander's head: Who could have done this? What is there aim? What happened to the Shinigami and their Zanpakuto?

The Captain-Commander looked upon the two assistant lieutenants with concerned eyes and said, "You two should go to the Fourth Squad and get a checkup. Also, send the Zanpakuto shards to the Research Division. Thank you for the report."

"Hai." Rukia and Hisagi heeded their Commander's order and left the office making their way to the Fourth Squad.

. . .

After having been cleared from his checkup, Hisagi made his way back to his barracks. He was welcomed back from his subordinates but he didn't pay them any attention and sat on the couch in the common room.

Anyone could tell how distant Hisagi was being and Yoshiro took it upon herself to try and comfort her precious Fukutaichou. However, before she could make her way to Hisagi, her partner, Zuo, made a worrying observation, "Ne, if the Fukutaichou is here by himself and he looks like _that_, do you think something happened to the Taichou?"

The other squad members gave Zuo a worried look for fear that his observation might be correct. Yoshiro walked over to Hisagi and when he gazed up at her, she saw how empty his eyes looked.

Seeing such empty and pitiful eyes, Yoshiro was unable to stand the pain this caused her, "Hisagi Fukutaichou… Did-Did something happen to the Taichou?"

"Does it matter if something _did,_ Yoshiro?" Hisagi's tone was cold and he's never spoken to anyone like that before. "You… You were against her from the start, so why are you so concerned about her wellbeing now?" Hearing his thoughts and how he completely avoided the question asked, everyone lowered their heads in worry.

Hisagi stood up and faced Yoshiro, his eyes were sharp but they were full of uneasiness. "Miyako… Urahara Taichou is in the Human World; she is currently suffering from wounds she received from an unknown attacker while protecting Assistant Lieutenant Kuchiki Rukia. Her condition when we left: critical."

'Critical' that was the word that affected everyone in the room, even Yoshiro. The squad members were frozen in fear and their minds were in a state of panic and concern. After sharing the news, Hisagi made his way to his quarters and a heavy silence loomed over the Ninth Squad.

. . .

At the same time in Kuchiki Manor, Rukia was wandering around the garden replaying what had happened in Karakura Town in her head.

"Rukia?" The voice belonged to Rin. She and Byakuya were talking a walk around the field. "Ah, it _is _you. You're back so soon!"

"Welcome back. How was the mission? A success?" Byakuya asked, as he looked at his little sister with hopes that the mission went well.

"Nii-Sama, the mission… There was a problem." Rukia lowered her head and narrowed her eyes as guilt took over once again.

"A problem?" Rin asked, "Did you get into trouble?"

Rukia lifted her head and locked her wavering eyes with Byakuya's; he already sensed the uneasiness from her eyes and grew worried about the news she was going to share.

"Urahara Taichou injured herself protecting me from an unknown attacker. She is currently under Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai's care but the condition in which we left her in was critical."

For a brief moment, Byakuya's eyes widened at the news. _Critical? Miyako… _

"Any idea on when she'll return?" Rin asked, concerned, or rather pretending to be concerned for her dislike of Miyako doesn't warrant any concern over her wellbeing.

"I honestly have no idea but Tessai-San is known for his healing kido, probably sooner than we think."

"Rukia, you've had a long day, go inside and get some rest, if you need anything, send for Tanaka." Byakuya stated, as he no longer wished to talk about the subject.

"Understood. You should head to bed soon too." Rukia said as she made her way inside.

"Rin, why don't you head to bed? Your schedule is busy tomorrow; it's best to get a good night's rest."

"But what about you, Byakuya-Sama?"

"I think I'll enjoy some fresh air for a bit longer." Rin wanted to say something but she decided against it and gave Byakuya a small nod and made her way inside.

With darkness looming over Seireitei and a gentle breeze whistling through the air, Byakuya takes a seat on a nearby bench in his garden. The moon shines bright tonight and Byakuya can't help but feel a sense of discomfort grow in his heart.

"Urahara Taichou… No, Yako*, thank you." Byakuya whispered to the starry night sky.

* * *

It's been over 12 hours since Miyako has been in Karakura Town and the sun has already risen to mark the beginning of a new day. As the golden light shines through the window to Miyako's room, she slowly awakens to the warmth.

Upon opening her eyes, she is unaware of her surroundings and is frantically searching around the room for anything familiar. "Where-where am I?"

"Ah, it looks like you're finally awake, little one." Hearing the familiar soft tone of being called 'little one' brought peace to Miyako. She motioned her head to her left and saw Kisuke sitting beside her.

"Onii-Chan." She then noticed that someone else was sitting beside Kisuke and it was Tsukabishi Tessai, "Tessai-San too."

They both gave warm smiles to Miyako and Kisuke tightly held Miyako's hand.

"How are you feeling Miyako-Chan?" Tessai asked.

"Never been better. Thank you for healing me."

"There may be some scars but other then that, you are at most 90% healed."

"So, are you prepared to tell us that happened?" Kisuke asked while giving a concerned look to Miyako.

"I'm not so sure myself. I'm still questioning if what I felt was real."

"What you _felt_?" Kisuke pressed.

"Yeah. That burst of light, when it made direct contact with me it felt like-like I was being attacked by a-a Zanpakuto." Upon hearing the information, Kisuke's attitude suddenly changed and he lowered his eyes so that his hat was shadowing over his face. "I thought I was imagining it but when I think about it again, I honestly believe that I was being hit by a Zanpakuto. The amount of Reishi packed in that attack and the spiritual energy was undeniably from a Zanpakuto. For a brief moment, I even felt Mugen no Ame react to the spiritual energy."

"So are you saying that the enemy is-"

"Shinigami." Miyako stated as she finished Kisuke's thought. "I should head back to Soul Society, the Captain-Commander probably wants a report."

"You can open up a Senkaimon outside. I will inform the Captain-Commander that you're on your way back. Be safe okay, little one?"

"Of course. It was good to see the both of you again."

"You too Miyako, congratulations on becoming the next 'Urahara Taichou.'" Kisuke gave a gentle smile to Miyako and she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment from her brother's compliment.

"Thank you but there's only one Urahara Taichou and that was you, Onii-Chan." Miyako gave one last smile to Tessai and Kisuke and made her way to Soul Society.

. . .

Upon arriving in the main streets of Seireitei, Miyako immediately made her way to the Captain-Commander's Barracks as he was awaiting her arrival.

It was already past four and everyone was gathering back in their barracks from break when the Captains all received a message from a hell butterfly calling a Captain's meeting immediately.

As all the Captains slowly gathered in the Captain's Assembly Hall, murmurs were spreading throughout the room regarding the rumors that were spreading about the incident that occurred in the Human World. The Captain-Commander cleared his throat to request silence and called upon their speaker for today. The large doors opened to reveal Miyako and the other captains looked at her with all seriousness.

"Miyako…" Hitsugaya looked upon his former subordinate with worried eyes.

Byakuya's gaze could barely stay located on Miyako and he instead stood in silence with his eyes closed shut.

"How are you feeling, Miyako-Chan?" Kyoraku asked.

"I'm much better, I've been fixed up quite nicely so there's no need to worry. Thank you for asking." Miyako gave a gentle smile to the captain and looked towards Yamamoto. _I didn't think I would have to do this again, especially not to the Captain-Commander._

Miyako made her way towards Yamamoto, got to her knees, and bowed in apology to her superior. "I have failed my mission, I apologize deeply Captain-Commander." Miyako lowered her head to try and hide her guilt and shame.

"Raise your head, Urahara Miyako." Miyako slowly did as she was told but she was still unable to meet Yamamoto's gaze. "You did not fail; we were simply too late in bringing Shinigami out there to save them. Is there anything you would like to report to us?"

Miyako gulped as she didn't quite know how to report her news, "The attack that made contact with me, I came to the conclusion that it was an attack from a Zanpakuto."

"A Zanpakuto? Are you sure about that?" Captain Unohana asked.

"Yes. After multiple battles and training, I know what it feels like to be attacked by a Zanpakuto. Mugen no Ame even reacted to it."

"So you're saying the enemy that attacked our own Shinigami were Shinigami themselves?!" The Captain-Commander was utterly surprised.

"Yes."

After hearing such shocking news, the captains couldn't believe their ears.

"Are you absolutely sure, Urahara Taichou?" Captain Kurotsuchi asked with a questioning look.

"Yes, I'm positive."

"The only way to be absolutely sure is to connect with the only person that can verify it themselves."

"Mugen no Ame…"

"Exactly. Call forth your Zanpakuto, let it tell us the truth."

"Oi, Kurotsuchi, are you trying to say Miyako is lying to us?!" Hitsugaya lashed out at the captain in anger.

"Enough." The Captain-Commander ordered. "Miyako, call forth your Zanpakuto and let us hear its story. You said it reacted to the attack; let it confirm what you told us. It may have other details to share with us." The other captains looked at Miyako waiting for her to follow Yamamoto's order.

"I understand." As Miyako unsheathed her Zanpakuto she called upon its release, "Sasayaku, Mugen no Ame" and concentrated her spiritual energy into it. However, nothing happened.

Miyako, Hitsugaya, and Byakuya were surprised at the fact that even though the command was called, Miyako's Zanpakuto did not release into its shikai state. "Mugen… why-why aren't you awakening? Why… do I feel no soul? This isn't Mugen no Ame, his spirit is no longer here. What happened to Mugen no Ame?!"

All the captains looked at Miyako in shock and surprise, as they didn't understand what was happening. What exactly happened in the Human World?

"Give me that katana; I will be in the research department until I figure out what is going on." Kurotsuchi walked over to Miyako and took the katana out of her hand. "You also brought some of the Zanpakuto pieces you found in the Human World as well didn't you?"

"Yes, it was already sent to the lab"

"Good. Now, I'll be taking my leave since this is more important, bye bye." With that, Captain Kurotsuchi made his way to his Squad's Barracks with the katana Miyako was sent home with.

"Until we find out what is happening, I advise you Captains to tell your squads about the current situation. You are all dismissed." With the banging of Yamamoto's staff, the captains prepared to leave the hall. It was already nightfall and everyone was returning to his or her barracks.

"Miyako…" Captain Hitsugaya took the time to talk to Miyako about what happened and how her body was holding up.

"I did the right thing didn't I, Taichou?" Miyako asked as if she regretted everything that has happened when she accepted this mission.

Hitsugaya gave her a smile and patted her back, "If you're talking about how you sacrificed yourself to protect Kuchiki Rukia then yes, you did the right thing. I told you, you're perfect captain material. Why don't you get some rest, your body has been through a lot."

"Thank you, Taichou."

* * *

At Kuchiki Manor everyone was getting ready for bed except for Byakuya.

"Byakuya-Sama? Are you going somewhere?" Rin caught Byakuya heading for the door to exit his room.

"I have some important matters to attend to. I will be back shortly." Byakuya replied, as he was already halfway through the door.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? It's a tad late don't you think?" Rin questioned as she sat up from her bed.

Byakuya walked over to Rin and gently tucked her into bed, "It's no problem, just some paperwork I wanted to finish up. You should rest early tonight. Good night."

Rin hesitated for a moment before she complied with Byakuya's wishes. With Rin finally heading to bed, Byakuya was able to leave his room and have a moment of peace. In fact, Byakuya lied to Rin, he didn't have any paperwork to do at all; he wanted to find Miyako.

Byakuya made his way to Squad Nine's Barracks and when he got there, he saw the beautiful captain sitting on top of roof gazing at the stars and moon.

While looking at the beautiful sight above, Miyako noticed the presence of someone gazing at her. She looked below her and saw Byakuya.

_Byaku… _She thought to herself as she looked into his grey eyes. "Kuchiki Taichou? Do you have some business with me?"

Byakuya then used his shunpo to get onto the roof as well. As he slowly landed next to Miyako, he placed his hand gently on her head. The warmth she felt was something she hasn't felt in a while. She tried desperately to resist her heart's temptation and could only firmly grasp her first.

"Thank you," was all Byakuya said as he gazed upon the stars.

"For what?"

"Protecting Rukia. If Rukia happened to get hit by such an attack, who knows what would have happened. I'm glad that you were there to protect her, thank you very much… Urahara." When Byakuya spoke the name Urahara, it seemed as if he was forcing those words to come off of his tongue.

_Again? Che._

Miyako turned her gaze away from Byakuya and cuddled her knees closer to her chest, "It was my job to protect her. I've lost people under my command before, I couldn't bear to lose anyone again…"

"I understand. I'm sorry and I'm thankful as well."

"I was simply doing my duty. But shouldn't you head back to Rin? She must be worried about you, it's pretty late and I'm sure you have a packed schedule tomorrow."  
"She's fallen asleep already, I told her I had paperwork to take care of."

"Oh? If that's the case, why are you here?"

Byakuya didn't answer.

"Ne, Byaku…"

Hearing his childhood nickname escape Miyako's lips, he couldn't even get angry with her and tell her that they were supposed to break off their ties with one another. He simply stood in silence, gazing at the sparkling sky above.

"If you're not here to rekindle old bonds then why are you here? I know for sure you aren't here to simply thank me; you could have done it in the morning. You told me not too long ago to never come in contact with you again and yet you're here. If you're not here as Byaku, then why are you here and who are you here as?"

"M-Yako…" Miyako's heart fell apart from hearing her childhood nickname escape from his lips. She hasn't heard the name 'Yako' in years and now that he's said it aloud, Miyako can't handle the pain anymore. "Is what Rin said true? You… Do you have feelings for me? Why-" before Byakuya was able to finish his sentence, he felt a warm sensation fall upon his lips as well as a teardrop hitting his cheek.

"Must you be so cruel, Kuchiki Byakuya?" Miyako asked in a quivering voice as she pulled away from her kiss. Her face was full of misery and betrayal. Her eyes were filled with tears and the pain behind her shining purple eyes were too much for Byakuya to handle. Her soft and wavering voice were like daggers to Byakuya and he was unable to respond to anything that just happened.

As tears continued to stream down Miyako's face, she gently placed her hand on Byakuya's cheek, "Ne, Byaku, I'm really tired of playing this game of cat and mouse," she explained while giving a pained smile, "She's wrong. I can't have feelings for you; you're engaged. Now please," Miyako sat back down with her knees close to her chest and avoided any eye contact with Byakuya, "return to your fiancé and leave me be? I've already lost an important man in my life yesterday, I can't handle losing another."

Byakuya's gaze softened as he looked at Miyako but he was also conflicted about his current situation. He decided it was best to leave Miyako to herself and return back to Kuchiki Manor. _What have I done? _He said to himself as he glanced back at Miyako once more before shunpo-ing away.

Miyako returned her attention to the stars and put her fingers to her lips where the warmth of their kiss still lingers.

_What have I done? I just did something that could get me severely punished or even worse… killed._

* * *

**_[[ *You guys may or may not know this but Miyako's name means "beautiful night child" and Yako is written to mean "Night Child", pretty good nickname that will hopefully click in other people's minds as we hit future chapters.  
_**

**_Thanks for sticking around! See you soon! ]]_**


	11. The Wedding

**[[ This chapter is a bit long, sorry!**

**But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!**

**Please R&amp;R! Thank you! ]]**

* * *

In a dark abandoned building, a group of seven people gathered kneeling to the back of a huge grand looking black chair. There was a man in the chair and he was looking out of a huge scene-viewing window. "Blue, Red, you're back. How did your mission go?"

"It went as planned. We were able to succeed in the stealing of Urahara Miyako's Zanpakuto." Red walked up to the chair and faced the man while holding out the red bangle he was wearing previously. "Mugen no Ame lies in this bangle, we offer this to Ojou-Sama since she requested to have Miyako's power."

"I see, the two of you have apprehended this quickly. I thought she was a strong captain, it seems I overestimated her. Well now that we finally have him in our possession, we shall commence with Plan B. Ojou-Sama will be taking care of the necessary steps in order to obtain the other captains Zanpakuto's, it seems she has already picked her target. I hope she doesn't make a fatal mistake. Now, we will lay low until chaos erupts from Ojou-Sama's plan, if we create a sense of peace for the Shinigami, they will lower their guards and think of the attack as something completely different. How did the replacement of the katana go? You must know of the Research and Development Institute, they will do everything they can to figure out the issue of the Zanpakuto."

"It's all taken care of," Blue explained still kneeling to the back of the chair. "No matter how much research, Kido, or experimentation is done on those katana, they will get no new information. After all, they're just plain katana. They have no soul, no residual traces of Reishi, and they won't be able to see anything in the past of those katana."

A smile formed on the man's lips and he took the bangle out of Red's hands. "After our Ojou-Sama attacks, you must immediately get this bangle to her. We must succeed in the theft of their powers or else our plan will fail. Do you understand, Blood Thieves?"

"Roger, Sir!" Their response to their leader echoed throughout the building. As they all gazed upon the back of the chair their eyes glowed in the dark. The eyes of the seven colors of the rainbow shone throughout the room.

A smile formed on the man's lips. "The wedding is almost upon us, prepare for Plan B."

* * *

After three weeks passed, no danger has been shown to Karakura Town or to Soul Society. Captain Kurotsuchi has spent multiple hours researching everything he could about the katana, but his efforts were futile. However, with no immediate threats being thrown to Seireitei, the Shinigami have briefly lowered their guards in order to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of their own Captains. Though, not everyone will be appreciating such a joyous event.

In Squad Nine's Barracks was Miyako drowned in paperwork, she looked at her calendar and gave a sigh. _It's already June 28__th__… _She opened the drawer in her desk and removed a mint colored enveloped, opening the envelope, the letter read:

Dear friends and family,

We cordially invite you to the marriage of Kuchiki Byakuya and Fujiwara Rin. The wedding will be held in the Kuchiki Manor Garden on June 28th at 3PM. Please try your best to attend and witness the beginning of a new bond and the union of two houses.

"To have the wedding this quick, are they eager? Or was it suggested by the Elders?" Miyako looked at the clock and it was already 2:30, "I guess it doesn't matter. I saw it in his eyes, he genuinely likes her."

As Miyako was talking to herself, a knock surprised her at her door and she immediately threw the letter in her drawer. "Come in," She spoke, trying to regain her composure.

Hisagi, wearing a white button up with a black vest, tie, dress pants, and dress shoes entered the room and gave a small smile to his captain.

"Shuuhei, you clean up pretty good." Miyako complimented with a smile on her face, "Are you getting ready to leave? Don't wait for me, enjoy yourself today."

"Oi, Taichou… shouldn't you be attending the wedding as well?"

"I'd rather not. There are too many… mixed emotions." Miyako thought back to when she sprung a kiss on Byakuya and they've barely talked since then. She's been desperately trying to avoid him and it's not possible to avoid him at his own wedding.

Hisagi then gestured his hand out to Miyako and gave her a reassuring smile, "Wouldn't it be best to see him at his happiest? You two are each other's best friend, I'm sure he wants you there. And besides, you don't deserve the pain of just sitting here and sulking. Come on, it'll be fun."

"I don't have anything to wear." Miyako spoke, hoping that it was a good excuse to get her out of the wedding.

"I got you covered, I knew something like this would happen so I asked for Matsumoto's help."

Miyako gave a small smile, secretly upset because now she has no real excuse to not go, "You thought of everything, haven't you Shuuhei?"

"Of course, I know you. Come on, let's go."

. . .

Hisagi and Miyako, who wore a soft pink dress with floral detail and matching pink wedges, made their way to the Kuchiki Family garden together and were greeted by Renji and Rukia. Renji was appointed as Byakuya's best man, and Rukia was given the role as the maid of honor by Rin in hopes that the two of them will get closer to one another.

"We thought you weren't gonna show up!" Renji teased as he spotted Miyako.

"I don't think I had a choice on whether or not I was attending." Miyako gave a smile to her two friends and Rukia responded with a gentle smile of her own.

"The garden is beautiful today, don't you think Miyako? Even the cherry blossom tree you and Nii-Sama planted long ago has finally bloomed." Rukia pointed to a beautifully bloomed cherry blossom tree that was positioned right next to a small pond in the garden. Miyako gazed softly at the cherry blossom tree as she was admiring the beauty of the garden; it was the perfect location to hold a wedding.

"Even mother nature has blessed you today, Byakuya." Miyako whispered faintly under her breath.

"Rukia-Dono, Renji-Dono, it's almost time. Please head to your positions." A staff member spoke, as the wedding was about to start.

Renji and Rukia bid Hisagi and Miyako farewell and took their places at the beginning of the aisle while Miyako and Hisagi sat in their seats near the front of the ceremony. Suddenly, music slowly started to play and Byakuya made his way down the aisle wearing a traditional kimono worn during a noble's wedding day.

Miyako looked at Byakuya and remembered the way he walked down the aisle, as he was about to wed Hisana, thinking back on those days, Miyako couldn't help but give a small painful smile.

The next to walk down the aisle were Rukia and Renji, walking hand in hand, gracefully and without error. The two of them wore finely decorated kimono's as well and it was a rare sight to see them so made up. Finally reaching the end of the aisle, Renji stood beside Byakuya, and Rukia stood on the side opposite of them, waiting for Rin to make her appearance.

The wedding march started to play and all the guests stood from their seats, Rin came out in the traditional Fujiwara kimono that consisted of white fabric with gold and red designs that reflected a regal appearance. Rin's hair was placed into an elegant updo with a gold pin and she wore matching gold pumps and a gold bangle. With her veil covering her face as she walked down the aisle, Rin sparkled and everyone looked at her in awe, her noble appearance and her innocent and graceful demeanor sparked everyone's heart. The beautiful woman stunned even Miyako. As Rin was led to the end of the aisle, Byakuya removed the veil from Rin's face and the ceremony has officially begun.

The same Officiant that spoke at Byakuya's and Hisana's wedding is speaking for the two of them today and he initiated the ceremony, "We are gathered here today to celebrate the love between Kuchiki Byakuya and Fujiwara Rin and to celebrate their uniting. If anyone has any objections say them now or forever hold your peace." As a moment of silence was given to the audience, Renji, Hisagi, and Rukia looked towards Miyako in hope that she would say something but she shook her head at them and looked at the wedded couple to be with painful eyes. "Well then, if there are no objections, we shall continue on with the ceremony. May we please proceed with the rings?"

Upon command, Renji and Rukia handed the rings to the bride and groom. "Do you, Byakuya, take Rin, to be your wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do you part?"

"I do." Byakuya answered as he placed the ring on Rin's finger.

"And do you, Rin, take Byakuya to be your wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do you part?"

"I do." she spoke softly as she placed the ring on Byakuya's finger.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Byakuya-Sama."

Byakuya and Rin shared their first kiss as a married couple and Miyako was unable to bear the pain, so she said goodbye to Hisagi and quietly made her leave.

"Ah, Byakuya-Sama, there's something that I want to share with you!" Rin called out while grabbing onto Byakuya's wrist before they walk back down the aisle as a married couple.

"Yes Rin, what is it?"

"Byakuya-Sama, ever since our first encounter, I felt an immediate attraction towards you and I'm thankful for the time that we've spent together. I love you and I'm glad that I get to call you my husband." Rin gave a smile, "I hope you won't hate me for this but please… die." A cold aura formed around Rin and out of nowhere, a katana pierced Byakuya in his chest. Suffering from shock, Byakuya was only able to look Rin in the eyes as she softened her gaze at Byakuya and plunged the katana deeper into his chest calling out a command, "Ketsueki Dorobo" (blood thief; GT). Her gold bangle emanated a bright light and quickly removing her katana, Rin fled from the scene.

"Nii-Sama!" Rukia yelled in fear as she ran towards her brother.

"Taichou!" Renji called out.

Miyako, who was almost out the garden, felt the drop in Byakuya' spiritual pressure and immediately ran back to the scene, she saw Byakuya's bloodied body on the floor with multiple Shinigami surrounding him and Rin was no where in sight.

"Nii-Sama! Unohana Taichou! Please, tend to Nii-Sama's wounds!"

As Miyako looked at the severely injured Byakuya, fear filled her mind.

"Taichou!" Hisagi called out as he finally found her, "Rin, we need to go after her!"

Miyako was already way ahead of Hisagi and quickly shunpo-ed out of site to get as close to Rin as possible but Rin was already out of reach.

"Hisagi, after her!" Hitsugaya ordered while shunpo-ing after Miyako.

On Rin's way to the hideout, Rin gave Red her gold bangle and Red gave Rin his red bangle. As Red disappeared, a presence was sensed behind Rin and she received a powerful kick that she barely managed to block. Turning around, Rin and Miyako made contact with each other once again.

"I knew you were suspicious but did it really have to be like this?!" Miyako's rage was slowly building up and anyone could see how hard it was for Miyako to resist the urge to kill Rin at this moment, "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You spout all this nonsense about loving Byakuya and you even marry him just to betray him in the end?! Was everything a lie, did you use him for your own personal gain? How do you think this is going to affect him?! Answer me, RIN!" Miyako's voice echoed throughout the empty sky as he reiatsu spiked dramatically.

Rin only responded with a smug look as she faced Miyako. "You… you're an idiot."

"What?"

"You saw it in my eyes as well as his, our feelings were genuine, everything I said about Byakuya-Sama was true. I ended up falling in love with him even though my mission forbade me from dong so."

"Mission?" Miyako questioned as she raised an eyebrow.

"Now now, it's too early to reveal our plan but how about I give you a sneak peak?" Rin had an evil smile form on her face and as she transferred her reiatsu to the red bangle she spoke out a command, "Bankai." A large amount of spiritual energy and smoke surrounded Rin. As the smoke cleared, Rin's new appearance surprised Miyako.

"Impossible!" Miyako's eyes widened in fear as she couldn't believe what appeared in front of her.

Meanwhile, not far behind from Miyako were Hitsugaya and Hisagi, after Rin released her Bankai, Hisagi and Hitsugaya stopped in their tracks, as they were surprised and confused.

"Hitsugaya Taichou… Isn't this reiatsu the same as that day?" Hisagi asked while looking in Miyako's direction.

"How is it possible?" Hitsugaya's eyes were widening. "She couldn't have gotten it back… then why is it here? Why do I feel Miyako's bankai?!"

"Hitsugaya Taichou, we should hurry to where Miyako is. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Let's go." The captain narrowed his eyes and he and the assistant lieutenant flew out of sight.

Back to where Miyako and Rin were, Rin's appearance and spiritual energy completely changed. Rin's deep purple hair turned blue and she wore a beautifully decorated blue kimono and in her hand was a decorated blue staff. "Bankai, Kozui Mugen no Ame"

Miyako was in complete shock, "Why… Why do you have Mugen no Ame? How did you get your hands on him?! Was it from that day? Were you the one that attacked me?!" Without thinking, Miyako charged at Rin but with a smug smile on Rin's face, she pointed the tip of the staff at Miyako's heart and Miyako froze in her tracks.

"Don't forget, you have no Zanpakuto, how do you expect to fight? With Kido? Don't even think about it, my Kido is stronger than yours. You can't do anything without this precious Zanpakuto but now that it's in my hands, you won't be getting it back. Not unless you kill me."

"Che… I was right, you're a Shinigami… But you're reiatsu…"

"I have special medicine to thank for that."

"Why would you betray your home?"

Hearing those words deeply angered Rin. "My home? MY HOME WAS DESTROYED BY THE LIKES OF YOU FILTHY SHINIGAMI!" The anger that Rin felt sparked with the orb of water in the middle of the staff and it blew Miyako back from where she was standing. "Urahara Miyako, I received orders not to kill you but _He_ didn't say anything about hurting you. How would you like to be destroyed by your own Zanpakuto?" Rin spun the staff in a counterclockwise direction and Miyako's eyes widened with fear.

"How do you know that move? How do you know Mugen no Ame's hidden power?!"

"How do you think? _He_ told me. I know everything about your powers, especially how it's impossible to run away from this hidden power of yours. And I already know the one condition I'm going to place on you."

"Damn you Fujiwara Rin!"

"KiraHakuhyo!" (Killer Black Ice; GT) The staff then turned black and a flood of black water came charging at Miyako. It surrounded Miyako and entered into her body, she yelled in pain at the attack.

"Let Kuchiki Byakuya be the cause of all your despair, erase and rewrite the history of Urahara Miyako and Kuchiki Byakuya. You will no longer trust nor love Kuchiki Byakuya! The time limit is one minute and the condition is your death!" As Rin finished her command the water escaped from Miyako's body and returned to the staff. Miyako's body was rendered unconscious and she fell from the sky. Taking advantage of the moment, Rin made her escape.

Appearing just in time was Hitsugaya, "Miyako!" he immediately sped up and was able to catch Miyako in his arms. "Hisagi!"

"Hai!" Hisagi sped up to try and reach Rin but when an attack of cherry blossoms clouded his vision, he lost sight of her and she completely vanished. "Che, Lost her."

A face of disappointment appeared on Hitsugaya's face as he looked worryingly at the unconscious captain. "Let's go Hisagi. We need to get to the Fourth Squad." Hitsugaya and Hisagi immediately made their way to Squad 4's barracks.

* * *

Chaos has spread throughout Seireitei and the Captain-Commander called for an emergency captain's meeting. As the captains were gathering in the captain assembly hall, things immediately got serious.

"As all of you have witnessed already, Kuchiki Byakuya was attacked and is now in critical condition. The attacker's name was Fujiwara Rin and we are doing a thorough background check on her right at this moment. We do not know what her goal is or who she's working for."

"Captain-Commander, I believe I know what her goal is, well part of it at least." Hitsugaya was the one that was talking and the Captain-Commander motioned for him to continue. "As you know, three weeks ago, Miyako was attacked in Karakura Town and that resulted in the loss of her Zanpakuto. While her assistant lieutenant and I were chasing after the perpetrator, we sensed a familiar spiritual energy flowing from her. It seems that Fujiwara Rin was able to completely steal and manipulate Miyako's Mugen no Ame. As Assistant Lieutenant Hisagi Shuuhei tried to apprehend Rin, he was cut off by an attack… That attack was Kuchiki Taichou's Senbonzakura. We can safely assume that their aim is to steal the Zanpakuto's of the Shinigami of Seireitei as they probably did with the group of five Shinigami that was sent to Karakura Town."

"Is that really possible? To steal and manipulate our Zanpakuto's completely?" Captain Unohana asked.

"It appears so." Captain Ukitake replied.

"Also, it appears to be that Rin used Mugen no Ame's hidden power on Miyako." Hitsugaya explained to his fellow captains.

"Hidden power?" Captain Unohana asked.

"I guess there's no need to hide it now. Mugen no Ame has a hidden power in both its shikai and Bankai. Miyako has never used it in battle before but it's a very dangerous power; this power is the full reason why I consider Mugen no Ame to be one of the most powerful Zanpakuto's among us. In its shikai form, it's called Hakuhyo, which means Black Ice."

"Ice? Are you saying Miyako's true power is not a water attribute but an ice?" Captain Ukitake asked.

"No." Hitsugaya explained, "Black Ice is an ability that creates illusions in a person's mind. In its shikai form, if Miyako spins the ring at the end of her hilt, she causes mental damage to her opponents. The effect of the damage is unknown. All she knows is that the opponent will die of the strain that is put on the body emotionally and mentally. It's a different form of her water attribute; all based on illusions that water creates in times of desperation."

"A deadly attack aimed at the mind. How fearsome" Captain Kyoraku said while lowering his hat over his eyes.

"Exactly, and as for her Bankai, it powers into KiraHakuhyo"

"Killer Black Ice…" Captain Unohana explained in a tone of worry.

"Correct, though the effect of this power is different in its Shikai form it is also based on illusions. This power allows the user to focus on a target and brainwash them."

"Brainwash?!" The Captain-Commander exclaimed in shock, he couldn't believe his ears and even the other captains were shocked at such news.

"Yes, it's an attack that is inescapable. Once the user has its target in mind, no matter if they try to flee, the attack will reach them. In order to use it, the staff has to be spun in a counterclockwise direction. The castor is able to change any one aspect of its target life, whether it be their personality, they way they lived, and even this relationship with someone. With just that one change, their entire life history is rewritten. This is what's known as the 'condition' and if the condition is not fulfilled within the time limit set forth, then the brainwashing will never fully be dispelled. It will remain with the person forever."

"Are you saying a time limit of even a minute could be possible?" The Captain-Commander asked.

"Absolutely. The time limit of even a second is possible. That is why I truly do not underestimate Mugen no Ame's power. It is a truly fearsome Zanpakuto."

"And so, do you know what the condition, effect, and time limit of KiraHakuhyo on Urahara Taichou is?"

"Unfortunately, I do not…"

"Then how do you know she was actually brainwashed?" Soi-Fon asked in a questioning tone.

"Because when KiraHakuhyo is activated, a cursed mark appears on the target. The cursed mark appears for as long as the time limit was set on the back of the target's neck, just behind their right ear. When I was carrying Miyako, I noticed it briefly just before it disappeared. The time limit is unknown to me but it was definitely a quick one."

After hearing such a detailed explanation of Mugen no Ame's hidden power, all the captains were struggling to take such information in. The power was now in the hands of an enemy and the fear of someone like Rin handling such a fearsome Zanpakuto had a serious effect on the meeting.

"Everyone, advise your squads of the powers they were able to steal and make sure you tell them to avoid Miyako's Zanpakuto. I fear that soon, Rin and her group will attempt to attack us again. You are all dismissed." With the banging of his staff, Yamamoto made his way to his office and the other captains prepared to go back to their squads. Captain Hitsugaya, however, made way for Squad 4's Barracks.

* * *

** "Byakuya!" A young girl with light purple eyes and tri-colored hair called out while chasing after a young boy with a long black ponytail. The little girl was wearing a frilly white dress and she was laughing so gently. The two were in the Kuchiki Manor Garden and as the little girl reached out her hands to grab onto the boy's shoulder, the boy turned around and a face of evil intent and hatred was present.

The little girl backed away in fear and shock and called out to her friend again but they boy's eyes were cold and full of hate.

"Byakuya? What's-" Before the little girl was able to finish her sentence, the boy took his katana and attacked her. Blood splattered everywhere; it was on the boy's face, the girl's white dress was stained with blood, and it splattered all over the grass. The girl's eyes had widened and she looked at her friend with tears in her eyes, "Byaku…ya? Nan…de?" As the girl's body was collapsing on the ground she looked at the face of the longhaired boy and he had an evil smile on his face. Unable to hear what came out of his lips, Miyako was able to barely read "die" coming from out of his mouth. **

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Her heart rate is increasing rapidly!" Assistant Lieutenant Isane yelled out. "We have to stabilize her!" Isane used her healing Kido to try and stabilize Miyako's heartbeat but it was barely working.

"Isane, what seems to be the problem?" Captain Unohana appeared in the room just in time and Isane told her of the situation. Captain Unohana understood and took over, after a few minutes; they were able to finally stabilize Miyako's heart.

_She suffered no injuries yet her heart responded in such a way? Is it because of the brainwashing power mentioned at the captain's meeting? If so, then what exactly changed in Miyako's mind? _Captain Unohana had a worrisome expression on her face as she was examining Miyako's condition. Everything was stable in Miyako except for her rapid heartbeats.

In another room, Rukia and Renji were impatiently sitting while they hear of Byakuya's condition. Isane was put in charge of Byakuya's room and told them that with the amount of blood that was lost, Byakuya is in need of surgery. The injury wasn't as serious as it appeared to be but the quicker they get through with the surgery, the quicker Byakuya will recover. However, Byakuya has regained consciousness and insisted that such a thing was not necessary and that he was perfectly fine. In a state of denial, Byakuya asked where Rin was.

Rukia looked at her elder brother with a face of sadness and explained what happened to him, though the Shinigami were unable to realize it, when Byakuya heard about the situation, it utterly broke his heart. Isane told them that Byakuya's condition was the number one priority at the moment and that she will get Captain Unohana immediately. As the other Shinigami of the fourth squad were using their healing Kido to stabilize Byakuya's condition, Isane went to call for Captain Unohana.

While Rukia and Renji were in the room with Byakuya, Byakuya asked if there was anyone else that was injured. Rukia told him what was relayed to all the squads and Byakuya was shocked to hear such news. His immediate reaction was to go see Miyako's condition. As Byakuya tried to get out of the bed that he was in, the healing Shinigami, as well as Rukia and Renji, tried to get him back in the bed.

"Unhand me, I have to go check on her condition." Byakuya, though very unstable, managed to free himself of the Shinigami's grasp and made his way to Miyako's room that was three doors down.

"Nii-Sama! You are in no condition to move let alone walk!" As Byakuya ignored Rukia's call, he stumbled and slowly walked to Miyako's room. Holding on to the wall with his right hand and his chest with his left he made his way to Miyako's room. A sense of relief came to Byakuya's mind when he saw there were no injuries to the captain. Sitting beside Miyako was Hitsugaya who was looking at her with a worried face. As he noticed Byakuya's presence, Rukia caught up to Byakuya and told him to return at once. Upon hearing all the noise, Miyako woke up and when her eyes met Byakuya's, fear struck her immediately. Her heart monitor immediately spiked and her breathing got heavier. She got up from her laying position and backed as far away as possible from Byakuya as she could. Her eyes were wide open and her hands were shaking. Hitsugaya noticed Miyako's odd behavior and tried to get Miyako to relax but was unsuccessful.

"Miyako…" Byakuya moved a step closer to Miyako and she let out a horrific scream, the medical Shinigami immediately ran to her aid and tried to calm her down.

"Get away from me!" Hearing such words shocked both Rukia and Byakuya when they realized that this was the doing of Mugen no Ame's brainwashing technique. "Don't come any closer to me Kuchiki Byakuya! Those eyes, that katana! Don't come any closer! Get away!" As the medical Shinigami tried to tie Miyako down to the bed, Hitsugaya also tried to restrain her.

"Oi, Kuchiki, get outta here! Her condition is really unstable, I'll explain it to you later!" As worry took over Byakuya's face, he and Rukia returned to their room.

When Byakuya was no longer in sight, Miyako has finally calmed down but her heartbeat was rapidly beating again and the medical Shinigami were doing everything they could to stabilize her.

As Hitsugaya looked at the torn up captain, he finally realized what the effect of the brainwashing was. _That Fujiwara Rin, she knew how important Kuchiki was to Miyako. She destroyed the bond they had and she changed their past. The love that Miyako had was turned into fear and the friendship they had was turned into hatred. Damn that Rin!_


	12. The Truth

**[[ Hello everyone!**

**This is a pretty long chapter so brace yourselves.**

**Also, there are multiple flashbacks, they're noted with "**"**

**Anyway, enjoy and do let me know what you think! **

**I'll be back again soon! ]]**

* * *

Back at the abandoned building, the Seven Blood Thieves have all gathered in preparation for their Ojou-Sama's return. As the sudden bursting of the door signaled Rin's return to the building, the thieves all bowed to her. Rin, having a smug expression on her face, walked toward the big chair in the middle of the room and knelt before the seated man, "I have returned, Master"

"Stand." The seriousness in the man's voice resonated with the deepness of his tone. Rin was surprised at the man's sudden tone but she did as she was told. "Come closer." The man ordered. Inching closer to the man, the sound of a hard hitting slap echoed throughout the room and it definitely caught the attention of the seven thieves. They looked at the back of the chair with serious expressions and lowered their heads as they continued to bow.

Rin slowly raised her head and revealed the bright burning red mark that stung across her face, she shot a glare at the man and was reprimanded by his angry tone, "How dare you!" The man's voice echoed, "I gave strict orders, you were not supposed to use her Bankai! Especially not on her!"

Everyone in the room was able to sense the anger in their leader's voice and everyone stayed silent, everyone except Rin. Her noble and innocent appearance was fading and her true colors were shining through. "You! Why do you care so much about her?! Why does it matter if I brainwashed her? Now that she's not held down by that damn Kuchiki Noble, she won't be as much of a hassle! And your orders were to simply not kill her; you're lucky I followed that simple order in the first place. I utterly despise her. She's annoying and I can't stand people like her. Besides-"

"Shut up!" The man ordered. "How can I think with you yapping like that?!"

"Oi! What is your problem?! All you ever do is talk about her! You know what, It should've been me! I belonged with you! Not her!"

"I told you once already, don't make me repeat it again." The man's intense purple eyes sent a chill down Rin's spine.

"Che." RIn gave up and walked toward the seven shadowy figures in the room and stood beside the girl named Yellow. "So, what now?" She looked at the back of the black chair and rolled her eyes.

"Next" The leader began, "we introduce ourselves to _him_. Let's go, my daughter."

"Oh, so _now _I'm your daughter?" Rin mumbled under her breath.

* * *

Back in Soul Society, only a few hours have passed since Rin's attack and both Miyako and Byakuya have been released from Squad 4's Barracks. As Byakuya returned to Kuchiki Manor with Rukia, Rukia brought Byakuya back to his room and left to get him some tea. Alone, Byakuya walked over to his cabinet with his photo of Hisana and located on the shelf underneath was a small white box. Byakuya looked at the box with slightly confused eyes and as he opened it, the item inside caused him to look upon it in sorrow. As he reached inside the box, he pulled out a silver star pendant and memories of that night emerged in his mind.

** It was a breezy summer night and there was not a single cloud in the sky. A young cheerful Byakuya and a young innocent Miyako made their way to the Kuchiki Manor roof. Upon reaching the roof, the two laid down a small blue blanket and gazed up at the sparkling stars together. As the two dear friends were gazing up at the beauty above, Miyako gave Byakuya a worried look.

"Ne, Byakuya… Do you ever regret looking at the stars with me?"

"Eh?" Miyako's sudden question caught Byakuya off guard.

"What I mean is… Do you regret being my friend? The other kids still pick on me and I feel as if I'm tarnishing your reputation but-"

"If I had the chance to do it over, I would do it all the same." Byakuya spoke as he gave a small smile to Miyako, "We've been friends for a little over two years now but I'm really happy to have you in my life. These stars, they don't look the same without you by my side, and I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. So to answer your question, no, I don't regret being your friend, in fact, I'm proud to call you my friend, Yako."

Miyako was caught by surprise, "Yako…?"

"Written out it means night child, and I think you're most beautiful when you're here with me, gazing up at the stars. Is it okay, if I call you Yako?"

Miyako gave a gentle smile, "Then… Can I call you Byaku?"

"Of course!" The two gave small giggles and looked up at the stars once more. A shooting star then fell from the sky and the two friends grew excited.

"Ne ne, make a wish!" Miyako called out. They both closed their eyes and wished on the star intently. As they slowly opened their eyes, they were interrupted by a female voice.

"Byakuya-Sama! Where are you? Your father and grandfather want to start you on your late night training!"

"Late night training?" Miyako questioned.

"They thought it would be a good idea. I'm sorry Miyako."

"It's okay, you can go… After you tell me what you wished for." Miyako playfully spoke.

"Haha, it's a secret." Byakuya stated as he put his finger to his lips and prepared to leave. "You can leave when you want Miyako, no rush." As the black haired boy left the roof, a lonely Miyako gazed up at the stars and that was when an idea popped into her head.

It has been two days since the two friends have met up again and Byakuya was beginning to worry that their friendship might have been ruined with Byakuya's increased training, however, when Byakuya was on break, Miyako showed up at the manor. The two walked to the garden and sat on the bench that was facing the fountain in the center.

"I was beginning to worry… I thought I did something wrong and got you angry with me." Byakuya said while looking at Miyako.

"I could never be mad at you! I just was busy with something for the past two days."

"Busy? Did something happen?"

Miyako gave Byakuya a big smile and Byakuya was getting confused. Miyako reached inside her dress pocket and grabbed a small white box and handed it to Byakuya.

"Eh? This is…" Byakuya looked at Miyako with a confused expression.

"Open it." Miyako gave a gentle smile toward the boy.

As Byakuya opened the box he was surprised at what was inside. When he took the item out it was two necklaces with silver star pendants. "These… Did you make these Miyako?"

"I had a little help, hehe. You know, when you said we couldn't watch the stars together every day, I got a little sad but then I had the greatest idea. These star pendants will replace the stars in the sky, that way the beauty of the stars that always seemed so far are going to be closer to us. Also, whenever we can't see the stars together, you can look at your pendant because look! I have one too! That way, we can both look at the same shining star together even if we're apart!"

Hearing such words made Byakuya so happy it was unbearable. He grasp onto the necklace so tightly, he thought it was all a dream. Byakuya believed he was truly blessed with a great friend like Miyako and seeing her go to such lengths so they can see the stars together again made him even happier.

"Miyako… Can I put mine's on?"

"Sure! I'll help you!" Miyako grabbed one of the pendants and hooked it onto Byakuya's neck. Seeing the pendant made Miyako happy and she smiled such a sincere smile.

"And now, your turn." Byakuya said as he walked behind Miyako and hooked the other pendant around her neck. "I can't wait until nightfall to watch the same stars with you again, Miyako…" **

When Rukia came back to Byakuya's room with the tray of tea, she saw a sight she's never seen before; her beloved Nii-Sama had an expression of anger and pain on his face as he strongly punched the wall beside him.

Byakuya, tightly grasping the pendant in his hand, clenched his teeth and looked at the pendant with hurtful eyes. _What I wished for back then… was to have you by my side for as long as possible. Miyako, when you look at your pendant, will the stars you see be different than the ones I see? Ah, of course it will; the look of fear you had on your face, how can I forget. And to think, we left off on bad terms as well._

Rukia was unable to comfort her brother so she decided to leave Byakuya alone and placed the tray of tea in front of his door and left.

* * *

Meanwhile at Urahara Shop, Urahara received a visit from a familiar face that he wished he would not see again.

"Yo! Good to see you again, Kisuke." An older man with a large muscular build greeted Urahara. The man had messy light blonde hair and purple eyes. He was wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt, matching black pants, and black dress shoes.

Narrowing his eyes, Urahara spoke with a serious tone, "What are you doing here? Why are you here?"

"HAHAHA!" The man responded with a roaring laugh, "What, I can't visit my own son?"

"I threw out that title years ago. Now, if you don't have any business with me, I suggest you leave." Urahara was about to leave when the man spoke up once again.

"Of course I'm here on business, there's someone I want you to meet. Oi! Come in here!" As the man cued for his guest to walk in, Urahara looked at her with an emotionless expression, "Kisuke, this is Rin, she's your biological sister."

Rin narrowed her eyes at those words as Kisuke was caught off guard, "What kind of joke are you playing? Miyako is the only sister I have."

"I think it's time Kisuke that I tell you the truth."

"I'll be outside. I can't stand this story." Rin looked toward Urahara and gave him a blank stare before she walked out.

"You kids have absolute no respect for you father. Geez, especially that child."

"Haha, father? You were never a father to Miyako or me. You abandoned us, you left us with mother and you made her die. You have some nerve coming here Kokuto, get the hell out, or I'll kill you."

"Now now, I'm not here to fight you. That day will surely come soon enough. I'm just here to tell you the truth. I feel it's time to tell you; after all, I'm sick of holding this secret. Well then…" Kokuto took a seat on the floor and began his story.

"Oi! Don't think I'll listen to you just because you chose to get all comfy!"

"Listen to this story. Or else Miyako will die." Kokuto gave Urahara a death glare and Urahara returned the glare.

"Well like I said earlier, that girl is your biological sister, your mother gave birth to her after I had an affair on her. You weren't there for Rin's birth, you were working with some group of scientists like you always did at your age. However, I later found out that the woman I had an affair with was also pregnant and I dumped her. When I heard she had given birth, I went to go visit her and the spiritual pressure I felt from that baby gave me the chills. I could tell when that baby grew up she was going to be strong and I needed to have her. So… I switched Rin and Miyako. Surprisingly, both your mother and the woman I had an affair with gave birth on the same day. So a simple switch was the easiest thing I could do. Haha! Rin was sent to a woman in the Fujiwara Clan and Miyako stayed with us. Now, I have her right where I want her and since she fulfilled her duty, it's time I fulfill mine. Well… I hope you enjoyed that little story. I'll see you next time, son." Kokuto gave another roaring laugh as he left Urahara Shop.

As he met up with Rin outside, she had an angry look on her face. _This is why I despise Shinigami… They were the reason why my father switched me out. If it weren't for her, I would've lived a better life. I would've had parents who cared. That damn Miyako, you're going to pay. When we get our hands on you, I'm changing everything._

Back inside, Urahara was still trying to grasp everything Kokuto said to him.

"So… She wasn't really your sister…" Tessai said from behind Urahara.

"No. Miyako is my sister; my _only _sister. I helped raise her and she was the one by my side. She's all I want and all I need. This Rin, she's nobody to me. I have to go to Soul Society, Miyako is in danger, I must protect her."

"We'll protect her together. After all, she's like a little sister to me too." Tessai said.

"Yeah, thanks Tessai. I owe you."

* * *

After Miyako was released from Squad 4's barracks, she was sent to her Squad Room. Her subordinates observed her with worried eyes as they heard about the rumors and even Yoshiro felt pity towards Miyako. After Hisagi settled Miyako into her Captain's Chambers, he noticed that she was still shaking in fear.

"Miyako…"

"Ne Shuuhei," Miyako spoke softly, "I'm scared…" Their eyes interlocked and her eyes were wavering with terror. Hisagi has never seen Miyako in such a helpless state before and all he was able to do was sit next to her and offer her comforting words.

"Miyako, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of."

"You're wrong." Miyako spoke fiercely, "Kuchiki Byakuya… He's ruined everything. He ruined my past, he got Onii-Chan exiled, and he even killed my best friend! Everything, _everything _is his fault and I bet he would be willing to kill me too! I can't live like this, I know what I have to do. I have to get to him before he gets to me. That's right, haha, I'll kill him before he can kill me, that's a good plan isn't it, Shuuhei?" Miyako was not joking around as she said this in all seriousness, Hisagi was completely stunned, and she sounded completely insane! However, since he knew that this has to be done by her Bankai, there was nothing he can do to sway her but, he still tried.

"Taichou… You-"

"Shuuhei, can you stay with me tonight?" Miyako interrupted once again without even giving Hisagi a chance to speak. He grew hesitant but he thought it would be best not to leave her alone by herself and complied. After Miyako fell asleep on the couch, Hisagi draped a blanket gently over Miyako. He looked at her with caring eyes and gazed at her beautiful face. _To think you'd ask me to stay with you, haha. Miyako… Seeing you act this way towards Kuchiki Taichou, it's crazy… I really hope this doesn't last forever. Even if the other captains say it will… I don't like this side of you. Not one bit.  
_

** "Excuse me…" A sudden voice called out to a young Miyako as she was slowly falling asleep on a bench. When Miyako looked up at the young girl with tired eyes, she noticed how beautiful she was. The girl was very petite and had pale skin. She had short black hair and the strand of hair that fell across her face was long and frayed at the end. Her eyes were a beautiful purple that had a hint of blue in it. "Are you not feeling well?" The girl asked.

Miyako looked around her surroundings and noticed she was in the 78th District of Rukongai. "Why am I here…?"

"Oi! Look over there! Two girls, let's get them!" Not too far behind Miyako and the black haired girl were groups of three thug like men. Just by looking at their faces, you were able to see the lust in their eyes and their evil intentions.

"Hurry! Over here!" The black haired girl grabbed onto Miyako's wrist and ran to an alley while dragging Miyako beside her. As the two girls ran away, the thugs followed behind them. When the girls ran through the alley, the black haired girl knocked over the trashcans and boxes to try and slow down the thugs but to no avail. The thugs managed to catch up to the girls as they exited the alley and the leader of the group grabbed onto the black haired girl.

"Ahh! Please! Stop it! Let me go!" With the suddenness of everything, Miyako had no idea what to do but then an idea came to her mind when she saw a metal pole on the ground. Miyako gave the black haired girl a reassuring look before she ran to grab the pole and disappeared from sight. The black haired girl however was unable to pick up Miyako's expression and feared that Miyako left her there to fall victim to the thugs.

"Haha. We got a good one, fellas." The men looked at the black haired girl with evil intentions and as they were about to leave the area, Miyako jumped from the roof with her metal pole and managed to strike down the two thugs behind the leader. As the leader noticed the commotion behind him, he saw a furious Miyako and was hesitant at the situation before him but tried to pretend to be 'cool'. "Heh, what're you going to do little girl? You think you can beat me with a stick? Not when I have your friend's life in my hands." The man had an evil grin on his face and held the black haired girl close to his body with a pocketknife to her throat.

With the new situation at hand, Miyako tried thinking what she could do without putting the girl's life in danger. Miyako dropped her metal pole to the floor and looked at the man with eyes that read 'I give up'. "Take me instead. Leave her. You'd rather want someone that would comply then fight back right? I'm your girl. Please, take me instead." Hearing such words shocked the black haired girl, she honestly thought Miyako was going to leave her there with the thugs but to have come back and sacrifice her life; the black haired girl was speechless.

Upon hearing the deal from Miyako, the man couldn't resist. In the man's mind, Miyako was actually more appealing than the black haired girl and didn't hesitate to make the trade. As Miyako walked toward the man and the ma lowered his pocketknife, Miyako gave a slight nod to the black haired girl. The man's main focus was Miyako, which was his fatal move, once the black haired girl had an opportunity to escape, she ran to Miyako's side and Miyako quickly ran to the man and kicked the pocketknife out of his hand. As the man tried to rung or the pocket knife, Miyako picked up the metal pole and threw it at the man and it managed to hit him in the back of his head; it hit him pretty badly that it stopped him in his tracks. With the man stopped for a few moments, Miyako quickly ran and picked up the pocketknife. The man was filled with anger at this point and he lunged at Miyako but then he suddenly dropped to the floor. The black haired girl had her eyes closed when the man lunged at Miyako but upon hearing the thud of a body falling she opened her eyes and the sight before her definitely scared her. The man had the pocket knife sticking out of his chest and there was a tremendous amount of blood flowing from his body. The black haired girl looked at Miyako and saw the blood splatter on Miyako's hair. The red of the blood shone the brightest against the white of Miyako's hair.

Miyako walked over to the girl and Miyako's head was lowered causing her hair to shadow over her eyes. "I'm sorry… But at that point, that was the only thing I could do."

"It's okay." The black haired girl said with a smile toward Miyako. Hearing such a kind and gentle voice, Miyako looked into the girl's deep purple eyes and her eyes wavered with a bit of uncertainty. "I'm Hisana. What's your name?"

"Miyako."

"That's a pretty name! It suits you, hehe. Thank you for saving me, Miyako-Chan! Ne, would you like to be friends?"

Hearing such an offer completely surprised Miyako. She hasn't had a friend in all her life and everyone in Soul Society would usually hate her. Miyako couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.

"Can we?"

"Of course!" Hisana gave Miyako a gentle smile and the two ran off to the forest.

. . .

It has been almost a year since the two girls have been with each other and even though they get into many difficult situations, they always find a way to get out of them. Miyako was happy to finally have someone she could call a friend but then one day, her friend was stolen from her.

One day when the two girls were looking to get food and water, they decided to split up. They vowed to never split up but it was getting dark and they didn't have enough food or water to survive. However, the girls both had whistles hanging around their necks and made a promise to blow on the whistle whenever they're in trouble. So the girls split up; Miyako went to the closest river to get water and Hisana went to the town area to try and find any left over food. When Hisana was looking for food, a man with a frightening appearance and chilling aura approached her. Hisana was stuck in her tracks and she was unable to move a muscle. As the man walked closer to Hisana, Hisana's hands kept shaking but she couldn't reach her whistle. Then the sudden crash of a flower vase brought Hisana back to her senses and she ran as fast as she could to get away from the man, however, the man was too quick and caught up to her in no time. The man grabbed onto Hisana's hair, pulling it harder and harder. As Hisana was struggling to get out of the man's grasp, she frantically tried blowing on her whistle. As Hisana blew on the whistle twice, praying that Miyako heard it, the man ripped the whistle off her neck and threw it on the ground. No one save the girl and upon seeing the sight, many of the villagers ran away and hid in their homes.

"Please! Someone! Miyako! Save me!" The man was starting to strangle Hisana and she was trying to yell out for help with the man's tightened grip around her neck. As HIsana was about to lose consciousness, out of nowhere, an attack hit the man and he collapsed on the ground. As Hisana dropped to the floor trying to gasp for breath, a hand grabbed her wrist and ran away as fast as they could. As they stopped running, Hisana and her savior were panting for breath. As Hisana looked at her savior, she noticed the person that saved her was not a part of the Rukongai.

"You… Who are you?"

"Me? My name's Byakuya!" A young looking boy with gray eyes and a long black ponytail said while giving Hisana a smile.

"You don't belong here…. Where are you from?"

"I belong to the Kuchiki Clan, we were here on some business but then I heard the sound of a whistle and saw you in trouble so I couldn't sit back and watch. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

"This isn't the place for a girl like you. How would you like to live in a better place? Would you like to come back to Soul Society with me? I'm sure you'll love it, especially more than here."

Hearing such a thing from Byakuya seemed absurd to Hisana at the moment but the thought of finally leaving Rukongai and the gentleness she felt from Byakuya was something she didn't want to regret in her life. She gave a gentle smile and agreed to the offer. Byakuya had a big grin on his face and grabbed Hisana's hand and ran back to his elders that he parted from. The two didn't know that Miyako was hiding behind a box, listening to every single word of their conversation.

. . .

It has been five years Hisana has been with Byakuya and since she's parted with Miyako. Over the past five years, Miyako was able to finally free herself from Rukongai and was on the path of becoming a Shinigami. One day she finally saw Hisana again when she and Byakuya visited the Academy. However, when Miyako approached Hisana, Byakuya rushed for Hisana to get going because elf their busy schedule.

When Miyako went to the Kuchiki Manor in secret one night, she saw something that made her deeply hate Byakuya. She saw a lifeless bloodied Hisana lying in the arms of Byakuya that was holding a knife covered in blood. His eyes were lifeless and Miyako was able to see the small smile that was on his face. Looking at the scene before her made Miyako furious and she vowed that she would kill Byakuya any chance she could get but whenever she tried to confront Byakuya after that, Byakuya has been making attempts to kill her as well. Her fear of Byakuya grew and eventually she just began to resent and fear Byakuya from afar. **

"Miyako! Miyako Taichou!" The echoing of a familiar voice was infiltrating a sleeping Miyako's dream. "MIYAKO!"

Hisagi's loud voice woke Miyako from her slumber and as Hisagi observed her, she was sweating, her hands were trembling, and her breathing was abnormal.

"Shuuhei…" Miyako spoke as if out of breath.

"You were having a nightmare, you kept saying 'Hisana' and 'No' in your sleep. What was going on?"

"Kuchiki Byakuya was what was going on. I can't live my life like this."

"Taichou… Listen to me. You and Kuchiki Taichou have been friends ever since you two were little. This hatred and fear you're feeling toward him, it isn't real."

"Liar!" Hearing such an outburst from Miyako shocked Hisagi and he couldn't help but feel pitiful towards Miyako.

"Taichou, why don't we go visit him?"

Fear struck Miyako's face when Hisagi suggested to go see him. Fear and anger were racing throughout her body and she didn't know how to answer.

"I'll be there as well. If anything happens. I'll be there." Hisagi gave a reassuring smile to Miyako and held out his hand to her. Miyako definitely hesitated but she didn't want to feel fear and hatred and so she complied. She held onto Hisagi's hand and they made their way to Kuchiki Manor.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Kuchiki Manor, Byakuya was in his room. He was not doing any paperwork or reading any documents. He was simply sitting on the floor staring at the cherry blossom tree he and Miyako planted in the garden when they were little. He gave a soft sigh and looked at the cherry blossom tree with narrowed eyes.

"Knock Knock," a voice said appearing from in front of the doors; it was Renji.

"Renji. What business do you have here?"

"I came to see how you were Taichou. A lot's happened in the past couple of days and I know for sure you aren't okay."

"Idiot. Why wouldn't I be okay?" As Byakuya tried to hide his emotions from his assistant lieutenant, Renji was already aware of the feelings Byakuya currently possess. Renji walked into the room and sat on the floor right next to the door.

"Taichou. You're obviously not okay. The person you thought you loved betrayed you and your trust. She wounded you, stole your Zanpakuto, and stomped on your pride. She brainwashed Miyako Taichou and now she can't be near you. She's full of hatred and fear and according to Hitsugaya Taichou the brainwashing is irreversible. How can anyone be okay with losing a person they thought was going to be the one and losing a person they've been friends with basically their whole life? Face it Captain, you are not okay." Silence was shared between the two and Byakuya didn't want to admit it but Renji was right. What happened the past couple of days were not easy for Byakuya and at this moment, he is in a vulnerable state. Rin was not the primary concern to Byakuya but he was still hurt by what happened. Renji looked at the conflicted captain and noticed something shine on his neck

"Taichou… around your neck?"

Byakuya looked at his neck and pulled out the shiny object Renji noticed. It was the star pendant necklace he and Miyako had when they were little.

"That necklace… it's the same as Miyako Taichou's."

"That's right… You don't know. The story behind this necklace… The story behind the stars…"

"The story behind the stars…?" Renji looked at his beloved captain and when he saw the saddened eyes Byakuya had when looking at the necklace, Renji knew one thing; that necklace is more than just a necklace, it's one of his most prized possessions.

"Listen well Renji. I'm only going to be telling you this once. When Miyako and I were little, we would always watch the stars together every night, you could say that was our little ritual we had before we went to bed. However, being the heir to Clan meant that I had extensive training and studying to do and my father decided to extend my hours for my studies. Those extended hours got in the way of my stargazing with Miyako and so we barely had time to see the stars together again. When Miyako came to see me after I told her of my father's plan, she gave me this necklace and told me that this star will replace the stars in the sky. That whenever we look at the stars, even if we're apart, we'll always be looking at the same star."

"But aren't the stars you see in the sky, the same no matter where you are? Even if the two of you were apart and you looked at the sky, wouldn't you both be seeing the same stars?"

"These necklaces, there are only two of them in the entire world. I have one and Miyako has one. They are exactly the same and they both hold the love and care that was put into them when they were made. There are no other stars like these in the sky above. That's why, when we each are missing our stars, we look at our necklaces and remember the days of our stargazing together. We look at our necklaces and the star that we hold in our hands is the star we are mesmerized by. That's why, when we were apart, we would always be looking at the same star."

To hear such a story behind the necklaces gave Renji a feeling that he couldn't describe. He felt happiness and a sense of sadness when he heard the story but he couldn't believe that a single silver star was what held the bond of the two dear friends. Renji gave a smile to Byakuya and told Byakuya that even though Miyako may be in a different state right now, the stars she sees will eventually become the same as the stars that Byakuya sees. Byakuya gave a slight smile to Renji and told him to return to the barracks to get his paperwork done and Renji complied.

After about 2O minutes, a knock was heard on the door and the ones that appeared before Byakuya were Hisagi and Miyako. Being able to see Miyako in a more stable state, Byakuya was relieved that she was not harmed in any way.

Reacting to Byakuya gazing at her, Miyako hid her face and clenched her fists.

"Kuchiki Taichou. I brought Miyako so she could talk to you for a bit. As you can tell she's a bit uneasy but I bet talking to you will clear her head a bit. I'll be sitting outside just in case she does something." Hisagi left Miyako in front of the door and sat outside to give the two a bit of privacy.

Silence and uneasiness was shared between the two.

"Kuchiki Byakuya…"

"Byakuya is fine. That's what you used to call me when you were little."

"I did? That can't be right. When I try to recall my past, I only remember addressing you as 'murderer'. After all, you were the one that killed Hisana." Byakuya was stunned by those words, he couldn't believe what he was hearing right now. To hear such words from Miyako who knew exactly what happened to Hisana made Byakuya worry more about the affect of Mugen no Ame's brainwashing. When Byakuya looked at Miyako, he saw something he's never seen in his life. He saw intent to kill emanating from Miyako and he saw the dead seriousness she had in her eyes. In Miyako's hand was a knife and she was prepared to kill Byakuya.

Miyako's murderous aura was so strong Hisagi rushed back into the room and saw the tension between the two captains. "Oi! Taichou! What're you doing?! Put the knife down!"

"No. I'm going to end this! I'm going to end this once and for all! I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill Kuchiki Byakuya!" Byakuya looked at the fear stricken Miyako with a sense of pity and Byakuya stood from where he was. He looked at Miyako's eyes and couldn't see the gentleness she always had but when he looked at her neck area, the necklace was still on. He believed there was some part of her still in there trying to come out and he would do anything to help. Byakuya slowly walked toward Miyako and Miyako was not prepared for something like that. She pointed the knife toward the approaching Byakuya and threatened him saying that if he came closer, she would not hesitate to kill him. Byakuya paid no mind to the threat and continued to approach Miyako. When Byakuya was in reach of the knife, Miyako stabbed him. Or you could say that when Byakuya was leaning in to hug Miyako, the knife simply was in the way. Whatever the case may be, Byakuya gave Miyako a deep embracing hug and Miyako felt the warmth of blood flowing onto her hand from where Byakuya was stabbed. Byakuya didn't move away, he continued to embrace her deeper and Hisagi left to get the Medical Shinigami. Byakuya placed his hand on the back of Miyako's head and Miyako felt a sense of warmth rushing through her body. Embracing Miyako, Byakuya had eyes of sadness and pain. _I'll do whatever it takes to see the same stars with you again…_

* * *

**[[ All the feels ;-; ]]  
**


	13. A Brother's Worry

**[[ Hello everyone, I'm back!**

**Warning: This chapter is simply unsatisfying (for me anyways)**

**I promise the next chapter will be better. Sorry for returning with a not-so-good chapter haha.**

**I'm slowly regaining inspiration so hopefully I'll post another chapter soon, until next time! ]]**

* * *

"Taichou!" Renji's worried voice echoed throughout the Manor as he quickly made his way to Byakuya's room with the medical Shinigami and Hisagi. As Renji finally reached his Captain's room, he was frozen in shock at the sight before him. In Miyako's hand was a knife that stabbed through Byakuya's abdomen and the blood continued to flow from the wound. However, it wasn't the blood that shocked Renji, it was the look on their faces that surprised him. Miyako and Byakuya were looking each other square in the eye but Miyako's eyes gave of a sense of hatred and despise as Byakuya's eyes gave a sense of despair as well as helplessness.

_Taichou… Are you going to do everything in your power to get her back? Even if it's impossible? _

"Miyako Taichou!" Hisagi's sudden outburst brought Renji back to the more important issue at hand. As everyone appeared on the scene, the medical Shinigami went to try and treat Byakuya's wound but Miyako wouldn't budge. The Shinigami did everything they could to try and remove Miyako but nothing worked. Shortly after, one of the medical Shinigami walked over to Hisagi and asked for his assistance in trying to remove Miyako from Byakuya. Hisagi understood and proceeded to help.

As Hisagi walked over to his captain, he looked at Miyako with pitiful eyes but also with disappointment. Then, slowly, he placed his hand gently on Miyako's hands that were covered in blood. The sudden warmth she felt from Hisagi made her change her focus to her assistant lieutenant. "Taichou… Miyako… Killing him won't change anything… Whatever you're trying to change, whatever you're trying to get rid of… Do you think taking a life will solve that?"

Miyako didn't speak a word. She continued to look at Hisagi and narrowed her eyes at him. Slowly, she began to close her eyes and let go of the knife that struck Byakuya. As soon as Miyako let go, Byakuya fell to the floor and the medical Shinigami immediately attended to his wound. Renji also quickly rushed over to his captain's side.

"Geez Taichou. I leave you for 2O minutes and then you go and get yourself injured again? What the heck happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Byakuya brushed his injury off as if nothing happened, like usual.

Renji gave a sigh and the medical Shinigami explained to him that Byakuya's injury was not as severe as they thought it would be. Luckily, the knife managed to dodge any major organs and that the wound will heal in no time. However, with the damage recently dealt to Byakuya during his wedding, he needs to keep his body in better shape or else it'll be dangerous.

"You heard that Taichou? You gotta be more careful, jeez! What on earth were you thinking anyway?"

"Renji. I need to talk to Miyako alone. Leave us be."

"Hah?!" Renji exclaimed in a voice of disapproval and surprise. "You think that's going to happen after what she just did to you? At this rate, both you and her need to have someone with you to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

"Such unnecessary things. All I need is to have a word with her. You see it don't you… around her neck…?"

"Her neck?" Renji turned his attention over to Miyako and focused on the pendant Miyako was wearing: a beautiful sparkling silver pendant. _The star pendant Taichou talked about earlier… _

"She's in there. Urahara Miyako is in that woman, I just need a word with her to help bring her back."

"Taichou… It's impossible… We were told of the effects of KiraHakuhyo, there's no way to bring her back. All her memories, all her feeling,s her kindness towards you… it's impossible to get them back." Renji looked at his beloved captain and as much as he didn't want to bring his captain down, that was the truth. Miyako's state is irreversible and the only person unable to accept that is Byakuya.

"No… It's not." Byakuya balanced himself on his feet and approached Miyako once again. Sensing his presence behind her, Miyako had her guard up and she gave Byakuya a cold glare. Looking at the coldness Miyako was giving Byakuya, an image of a gentle smiling Miyako popped into Byakuya's mind. Slowly, Byakuya extended his arm and tried to reach for Miyako's head, however, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder instead. Miyako didn't move and she simply stared at Byakuya. "Miyako…"

Miyako's eyes immediately narrowed at the sound of Byakuya calling her name. She also whacked away Byakuya's hand, "Don't call me by that name. I don't know why you think you're able to address me so formally but please refrain from doing so. Kuchiki Byakuya, I've decided to stop trying to kill you but… I will always hate you." Miyako's intense purple eyes pierced through Byakuya's heart and she left the room with no other words.

'I will always hate you', Those words struck Byakuya's heart like a shard of ice. The coldness he received from Miyako was something that he's never seen before. He simply stood where he was looking as the Ninth Squad Captain walked out of his room. A sense of defeat and exhaustion filled his body and mind. _Is everyone right?_ He thought to himself, _The Miyako I know… is she truly gone forever?_

"Kuchiki Taichou…" Hisagi began while bringing back Byakuya to his senses. "I'm sorry for everything that happened… But, you must understand… It's going to take some time for Miyako to cast aside her hate for you. Maybe it will be best to not think of her as the Miyako you once knew but as a Miyako you have to know again…" Hisagi looked at Byakuya but his face was blank so Hisagi focused his gaze on the ground and left the room with a slight bow. The medical Shinigami also followed suit and bowed to Squad 6's Captain and Assistant Lieutenant.

_A Miyako I have to know again…?_ Byakuya thought to himself. Byakuya closed his eyes and motioned his right hand over his abdomen area where he was just stabbed. The memories of Miyako and Byakuya's childhood were overflowing his mind. Her gentleness, her smile, her warmth, and her laugh… _Will everything be the same…? Or will I see a new you? _Then, he slowly brought his fingers up to his lips where he still remembers the warmth of the kiss she sprung on him before his wedding not too long ago. _You fool…_

As Renji gazed at his captain's back, he was able to see the hurt and sadness that Byakuya was feeling and a sense of failure washed over Renji for he had no idea how he could help relieve the pain. _Che. Is there really nothing? Her Bankai was cruel enough to create such a power without an off switch? I guess the only person that really knows would be Hitsugaya Taichou…_

"Renji…" Byakuya began as he opened up his eyes. "It'll be best if you get back to work" Byakuya turned his attention to Renji for a brief moment and Renji noticed a change in Byakuya's demeanor. The pain, the suffering, the exhaustion… where had they gone? It looks as if Byakuya's finally accepted the truth about Miyako. However, the pain and suffering…. can such a thing be easily erased? Renji knew such a thing was impossible and wanted to support his captain 100% so he gave Byakuya a slight smile and a bow. "Hai, Kuchiki Taichou"

. . .

As Miyako and Hisagi were on their way back to their barracks, Miyako grew distracted as she gazed at the path that had cherry blossom trees growing on each side of the trail. As she walked over to the trees, petals were floating ever so gently down to the ground; the path was covered in a lovely sheet of cherry blossoms. As Miyako held out her hand, a cherry blossom petal fell in her hand and the warmth made her give out a smile. Hisagi walked by Miyako's side and noticed the gentleness she had.

_I guess there are some things you just can't change…_ Hisagi thought to himself as he was admiring his captain.

Then a sudden breeze flew by, the breeze caused the cherry blossoms in Miyako's hands to fly in the direction of the wind. Miyako's hair also flew in the direction of the wind and as Miyako tried to keep her hair in place with her right hand, Hisagi was stunned by his captain's beautiful appearance.

Miyako tried to reach out to the cherry blossoms but as her arm was extended out, her hand began to shake uncontrollably. Such a sight caused Hisagi to look at his captain in shock, however it seemed as if Miyako wasn't as affected as Hisagi was. As Miyako brought her right hand to her view, her hand wouldn't stop shaking and she noticed a splotch of blood right under her thumb that she seemed to have missed when cleaning up her hand earlier. She looked at the splotch of blood with an expression of sadness. Seeing such a sight in front of him, Hisagi pulled out a handkerchief and gently took a hold of Miyako's hand. As Hisagi was wiping off the blood on Miyako's hand, Miyako turned her gaze to face Hisagi's and as their eyes were only inches apart, Hisagi froze in shock. However, that wasn't the only reason why Hisagi froze in his tracks. Hisagi looked at his captain with an expression of gentleness and motioned the handkerchief to Miyako's tears.

"I… I… I tried to kill someone…" Miyako's expression was blank but tears continued to fall down her eyes.

Hisagi looked at his captain with gentleness and pulled her into an embracing hug, "It's okay Taichou… cry out all you want. It's okay… It's not your fault."

Following Hisagi's words, the two remained on that path with the fluttering breeze and the dancing sakura petals as Miyako cried her heart out.

* * *

At Squad 10's Barracks, Hitsugaya Taichou was at his desk working on a stack of paper, as Matsumoto was asleep on the couch as usual. Upon hearing a knock on his door, Hitsugaya was surprised to see Renji at their barracks. Noticing that Matsumoto was still asleep, Hitsugaya threw a stack of paper at her, causing her to wake up.

"Oi, Matsumoto." Hitsugaya said with a bit of an irritated tone. "We have a guest and I've told you countless times. Get your work done then you can take a nap." Hitsugaya explained this as an anime like vein appeared on his forehead. Waking up from her slumber, Matsumoto let out a yawn and a stretch. As her vision became more focused as her eyes opened, she noticed Renji in front of her. "Ah, Renji! What are you doing here?" It seemed as if Matsumoto purposely ignored Hitsugaya's comment.

Renji saw Hitsugaya get even more irritated as more vein's appeared on his forehead. _It sure is lively here as well,_ Renji thought to himself as he didn't know what to say in response to Matsumoto.

"So? What brings you here Abarai?" Hitsugaya asked as he took a seat at his desk and picked up a pen to continue his paperwork.

"Ah… I just wanted to come and talk to you about something Hitsugaya Taichou."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and put his pen down, "If it's about Miyako… I've told you everything I could. It's impossible, there's nothing anyone can do."

"I know I know, it's just… Do you know exactly what changed in her brain? If one memory of Kuchiki Taichou pointed him out to be evil, what does that mean for her other memories?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Hitsugaya stated as he lowered his gaze toward the ground, "All her memories of Kuchiki Taichou have been turned into trauma. The love she had for him turned into hate and the friendship they built turned into fear. In Miyako's eyes, Kuchiki Byakuya is a threat to her very existence. Though, I'm not even sure what I'm saying is completely accurate. Miyako has never used this power before and she never intended to learn about it either. All this data is based on what we've seen from Miyako so far. Abarai…" Hitsugaya looked Renji square in the eye, "The Miyako we all know and love is no longer here. She's going to be an entirely different person and she will develop her own new memories. Urahara Miyako is gone."

"What am I supposed to tell the Taichou?" Renji asked in defeat, "He still believes he can change her back, even after she almost killed him."

"What?" Matsumoto replied in shock, "Miyako did what?"

"She came to visit Kuchiki Taichou and when I felt the small drop in his Reiatsu, I ran over and saw the knife in Miyako's hand; she stabbed him. He was lucky though, he didn't receive any serious injuries."

"This is bad." Hitsugaya said softly to himself as he lowered his head, "I will go talk to her, maybe I'll learn something new. Matsumoto, take care of things here."

"Hai, Taichou."

. . .

Meanwhile, rushing through the Senkaimon to get to Seireitei was Urahara Kisuke, who grew worried about his sister's condition. His sudden appearance surprised the guard at the gate, "Urahara Kisuke? What on earth are you doing here?"

"I have some business to attend to, where is Miyako- Captain of the Ninth Squad?" Urahara asked.

The guard gave Urahara a confused gaze, "That's right… I forgot you two were related, last I heard, Urahara Taichou was admitted in Squad Four's Barracks. Something happened and everyone's in a state of panic."

Taking in the information, Urahara narrowed his eyes, and said his thanks as he quickly made way to Squad Four's Barracks, but there was no sign of Miyako. Neither Unohana Taichou nor Isane Fukutaichou were present to explain the situation to him so he thought he would try Squad Nine next, and on his way there, he umped into Hitsugaya.

"Yo, Hitsugaya Taichou." Urahara greeted with a smile.

"Urahara huh? You here to see Miyako?"

"Something like that. She's not safe here, I'm taking her back to Karakura Town with me."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at Urahara's statement, "What do you mean?"

"I'm still figuring that out myself but someone from my past reemerged and plans to get his hands on her for whatever reason. I must protect her."

"Well I think that's gonna be difficult with the position she's in."

"Did something happen to Miyako already?!" Urahara asked in fear.

"No, well… sort of." Hitsugaya heaved a heavy sigh and explained everything to Urahara, who closed his eyes and actively listened to the chain of events.

"I see, it seems I was too late in protecting her then. That damn old man!"

Just by listening to Urahara's words, Hitsugaya was able to piece together everything fairly quickly, "The person that's after Miyako is… your father?"

"That's right. I don't have much information to offer since he's been out of our lives for a while. You should've head the story he told me earlier, how ridiculous."

"Nani?!" Hitsugaya exclaimed in shock, "You were in contact with him? Was he in possession of Miyako and Kuchiki's Zanpakuto?!"

"No, I didn't sense anything strange from him or that woman he came with."

"Woman?"

"Yeah, I heard about Kuchiki Taichou's wedding, his fiancé's name was Fujiwara Rin, wasn't it? That was the name of the woman… It seems like they're working together but it also seems that they have different goals set in sight."

"I see..." Hitsugaya pondered, "Well, you came to see Miyako, right? I was just on my way to see her, let's go together."

As Urahara and Hitsugaya made their way to Squad Nine's Barracks, they stumbled upon Squad Nine's captain and assistant lieutenant caught in a deep embracing hug. The gentleness of Hisagi's eyes as he looked at his captain, his large yet comforting hands gently supporting her as she cries, and Miyako's weakened state by the confusion of everything that has happened.

As Miyako was starting to calm down, she gently pushed away from Hisagi's deep embrace. As Miyako focused her gaze into Hisagi's eyes, she gave him a very gentle smile. "Thank you Shuuhei, and I'm sorry for acting like a brat these couple of days…"

Hisagi gave a startled look at Miyako that was followed by a chuckle, "It's no problem Taichou, I'm always here for you." Hisagi said as he gave Miyako a big smile. Then Hisagi noticed the presence of the two men standing from afar behind Miyako and his face suddenly became serious. Noticing the serious expression on Hisagi's face, Miyako turned her attention in the direction Hisagi was facing and saw the familiar faces.

"Ah! Nii-San!" Miyako yelled out as her face lit up upon seeing Urahara. She then ran over to Urahara and jumped into his arms giving him a hug, the suddenness of it all caused Urahara's hat to fall on the ground. However, Urahara gave Miyako a big smile and put his hand on her head as she focused her attention on her brother's face.

"What are you doing here, Nii-San?"

"I came to see how you were doing" Urahara said as he picked up his hat on the ground. "And I came to take you back to Karakura Town with me." Urahara explained as he placed his hat on his head causing the brim to shadow over his eyes.

Miyako was confused, "Nande? Why do I need to go back to Karakura? Is it because you're also afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that I'll try to hurt Kuchiki Byakuya again?"

Urahara gave Miyako a serious look and lowered his eyes to the ground. _So it is true… Kuchiki Byakuya huh? _

"Of course not Miyako-" Before Urahara was able to finish his sentence Miyako cut him off.

"Good!" She exclaimed. "I'm done trying to get my revenge on him… But… I'll still hate him forever…" Miyako said with angered eyes as she looked away from Urahara's gaze.

"MIyako… you're in danger here. You need to get somewhere safe… I will protect you, please come back to Karakura Town."

"Danger? The only danger here is Kuchiki Byakuya and I've already told you everything is fine now. What other reason do I have for going back to Karakura Town?"

"Miyako…" Hitsugaya began as he stepped forward to talk. "Do you remember the wedding that happened not that long ago? Kuchiki Taichou was attacked and one of the results from that attack also caused you to get attacked. Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember! How could I not? But Hitsugaya Taichou… you have the details wrong. The wedding was a forced marriage between Kuchiki Byakuya and I, there was a plan to sabotage the wedding so I wouldn't have to go through with such a thing but it ended up backfiring and I ended up getting hurt. That's why when I woke up I was in Squad 4's Barracks. Remember that Taichou?"

Hearing such a story completely surprised Hitsugaya and Hisagi, those were not the events that happened at all! Hitsugaya and Hisagi were completely baffled and didn't know how to respond to Miyako's ridiculous story but they knew that that ridiculous story is fact for Miyako. That's what her brain made into facts and they had no idea how to deal with this. Hitsugaya didn't want to trouble her mind any further and simply agreed to her tale.

"See, Nii-San? There's no danger here, you don't need to worry about me, I'll be fine." Miyako said with a smile.

"Hitsugaya Taichou, can I count on you?" Urahara whispered to the white haired captain in a low tone that only Hitsugaya would be able to hear.

"Yeah. You'll be the first I contact if anything happens." Hitsugaya replied in the same low tone.

"Thanks." Urahara replied with a small smile. Then he focused his attention on Miyako and placed his hand on her head once again while giving her a gentle smile. "I understand, if you believe there is no danger then I will leave, okay? Be safe Miyako, I love you."

Miyako gave a gentle smile to Urahara in return, "Thank you Nii-San, I'll be fine. I love you too. Have a safe trip back."

As Urahara made his way back to the Senkaimon, he looked above at the cloudless sky with a worried gaze. _Miyako, please stay strong._


End file.
